THE CRIMINAL PROFILES OF THE MENTALLY RETARDED (INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT 79 AND BELOW) AND NORMAL OFFENDER (INTELLIGENCE QUOTIENT 90 AND ABOVE) WERE COMPILED FROM DATA GATHERED BY THE BUREAU OF ADULT CORRECTIONS. SIX BASIC CRIMINAL CHARACTERISTICS WERE ASSESSED - ADMISSION OFFENSE, LENGTH OF SENTENCE, TYPE OF RELEASE, NUMBER OF PREVIOUS ARRESTS, NUMBER OF PREVIOUS SENTENCES, AND SOCIAL ADJUSTMENT POTENTIAL. GENERALLY SPEAKING, THE RETARDED INMATES TENDED TO COMMIT MORE VIOLENT CRIMES THAN EXPECTED AND WERE ARRESTED MORE FREQUENTLY THAN EXPECTED; BUT IT WAS THE NORMAL OFFENDER THAT SEEMED TO HAVE MORE PREVIOUS CONVICTIONS THAN EXPECTED. THEREFORE, IT COULD BE SPECULATED THAT THE RETARDED ARE MORE AMENABLE TO THE TYPES OF REHABILITATION AND VOCATIONAL PROGRAMS OFFERED IN CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND THE OCCUPATIONS AVAILABLE TO EX-CONVICTS, AND THAT IT IS THE OFFENDER OF NORMAL INTELLIGENCE WHO IS NOT PROFITING FROM EXISTING PRISON REHABILITATION PROGRAMS. REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED.