THE MAJOR HYPOTHESES BY EXPLANATORY THEMES IN THE LITERATURE ON PRISON DISTURBANCES ARE SUMMARIZED AND EVALUATED. ADDITIONAL HYPOTHESES ARE DRAWN FROM RELEVANT STUDIES OF COLLECTIVE VIOLENCE IN OTHER INSTITUTIONAL SETTINGS (MENTAL HOSPITALS, COLLEGE CAMPUSES, AND URBAN GHETTOS). MANY OF THESE HYPOTHESES ARE TESTED AGAINST CONDITIONS AND EVENTS AT A SAMPLE OF STATE PRISONS DURING THE PERIOD OF 1971-1973. FINALLY, FINDINGS FROM THE STATE PRISONS ARE USED TO SUGGEST A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK THAT MAY HELP TO EXPLAIN BOTH RIOTS AND NONRIOT RESISTANCE AS DISTINCT FORMS OF COLLECTIVE DISTURBANCES IN PRISONS.