THE FOLLOWING FACILITIES PARTICIPATED IN THE STUDY: WESTERN CORRECTIONAL CENTER, HARNETT YOUTH CENTER, POLK YOUTH CENTER, SANDHILLS YOUTH CENTER, BURKE YOUTH CENTER, CENTRAL PRISON, CALEDONIA, ODOM, BLANCH, AND NORTH CAROLINA CORRECTIONAL CENTER FOR WOMEN. DATA WERE DERIVED FROM THE INSTITUTIONAL RULE INFRACTIONS DATA BASES AND INTERVIEWS WITH INSTITUTIONAL SUPERINTENDANTS AND INMATES. STUDY FINDINGS INDICATED THAT THE KNOWN QUARTERLY ASSAULT RATE WAS 4.0 PERCENT; AN INMATE WAS SUBJECTED TO A RISK OF ASSAULT 2 TO 3 TIMES THAT OF HIS NON-INSTITUTIONAL COUNTERPART; AND THAT KNOWN ASSAULT RATES VARIED WIDELY BY INSTITUTION. MALES COMMITTED MORE ASSAULTS THAN FEMALES, YOUTHS MORE ASSAULTS THAN ADULTS, YOUNGER ADULTS MORE ASSAULTS THAN OLDER ADULTS, AND NONWHITES MORE ASSAULTS THAN WHITES. ASSAULT VARIED INVERSELY WITH THE RISK OF GETTING CAUGHT AND THE AMOUNT OF SUPERVISION, AND DIRECTLY WITH THE AMOUNT OF INMATE TO INMATE CONTACT. THE MAIN PRECIPITATING CAUSES WERE VERBAL ABUSE, PROPERTY AND MONEY MATTERS, AND REVENGE. QUARTERLY VICTIMIZATION RATES VARIED FROM LESS THAN 0.6 PERCENT TO 19.4 PERCENT, WITH THE QUARTERLY HOMOSEXUAL ASSAULT RATE BEING 0.2 PERCENT. VICTIMIZATION RATES VARIED MARKEDLY BY SEX, RACE, AGE, AND INSTITUTION. THE QUARTERLY STAFF VICTIMIZATION RATE WAS 1.1 PERCENT. THE MAIN PRECIPITATING FACTORS WERE ECONOMIC MATTERS, SEX, AND REVENGE. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT, GIVEN BUDGET RESTRAINTS LIMITING INCREASES IN THE QUANTITY AND EFFICIENCY OF SUPERVISION, THE MOST LIKELY AREA FOR POLICY INNOVATION WOULD BE A DEMOGRAPHIC REORGANIZATION OF INMATE ACCORDING TO THEIR PROPENSITY TO COMMIT ASSAULT. SEE ALSO NCJ-37463....ELW