PRISONIZATION HAS BEEN DEFINED AS 'THE TAKING ON...OF THE FOLKWAYS, MORES, CUSTOMS, AND GENERAL CULTURE OF THE PENITENTIARY.' PERSONAL INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED WITH 241 OF THE 292 MALE PRISONERS SENTENCED TO WASHINGTON STATE PRISONS BETWEEN JUNE 1 AND AUGUST 31, 1974, AND WITH 74 OF THE 92 FEMALE PRISONERS AS OF AUGUST 1974. DATA WERE GATHERED ON THE SUBJECTS' SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS; THEIR ATTITUDES TOWARD LAW, THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM, POLICE, AND LAWYERS; THEIR EXPERIENCES WITH THE LAW AND THE LEGAL SYSTEM; AND THE EXTENT OF THEIR PRISONIZATION (AS MEASURED BY RESPONSES TO SIX HYPOTHETICAL SITUATIONS). THE FINDINGS SHOW THAT ATTITUDE IS A SIGNIFICANT DETERMINANT OF PRISONIZATION FOR BOTH MEN AND WOMEN. AGE IS A SIGNIFICANT FACTOR FOR MEN, AS ARE RACE AND TOTAL YEARS IN PRISON FOR WOMEN. THE FINDINGS ARE USED TO EXAMINE THE ADEQUACY OF DEPRIVATION AND IMPORTATION MODELS OF PRISONIZATION AND OF THE CURVILINEAR PRISONIZATION HYPOTHESIS. IMPLICATIONS OF THE FINDINGS FOR FURTHER STUDY OF PRISONIZATION ARE NOTED. SUPPORTING DATA AND A LIST OF REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED.