THIS WAS ACCOMPLISHED USING THE THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK CONSTRUCTED BY JOHN LOFLAND WHICH DEALS WITH THEDYNAMICS OF DEVIANCE AND OUTLINES THE WAY IMPUTATIONS ARE GIVEN TO ACTORS, HOW THEY RESPOND AND HOW EITHER DEVIANCY IS PERPETUATED OR NORMALCY RESULTS. TWO CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEYS OF INMATES ASSIGNED TO WORK-RELEASE PROGRAMS, STAFF COUNSELORS AND WORK SUPERVISORS IN FLORIDA WERE ADMINISTERED BY THE GRANTEE. SITES FOR THE STUDY WERE SELECTED TO SPAN THE BROADEST RANGE OF DIFFERENCE POSSIBLE. THE STUDY FOUND THAT IF COUNSELORS AND WORK SUPERVISORS MAKE POSITIVE IMPUTATIONS TOWARDS AN INMATE, THAT INMATE'S SELF-ESTEEM WILL BE HIGH, AND IF THE IMPUTATIONS ARE NEGATIVE, THEN THE SELF-ESTEEM WILL BE LOW. A CAUSAL LINK BETWEEN IMPUTATIONS AND SELF-ESTEEM WAS IMPLIED BUT NEVER EXPLICITY STATED. DEVIANT BEHAVIOR CORRELATED WITH LOW SELF-ESTEEM WHEREAS NORMALCY CORRELATED WITH HIGH SELF-ESTEEM. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)