THE AUTHORS EXAMINE THE HISTORICAL DIFFUSION OF RADICAL-THEORETICAL IDEOLOGY FROM THE 'FREE' SOCIETY INTO THE PRISON COMMUNITY, THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE 'POLITICAL PRISONER' IDELOLGY, THE PERIODIC USE OF COLLECTIVE VIOLENCE, AND THE EMERGENCE OF NONVIOLENT COLLECTIVE ORGANIZATIONS SUCH A PRISONERS' UNIONS. TO DETERMINE THE EXTENT TO WHICH PRISONERS BECOME RADICALIZED OR POLITICIZED BY THE EXPERIENCE OF INCARCERATION, THE AUTHORS CONDUCTED A THREE-PHASE LONGITUDINAL STUDY OF INMATE ATTITUDES. THE ANALYSIS SUGGESTS THAT INCARCERATION, PARTICULARLY FOR LONG PERIODS OF TIME, SERVES TO EXACERBATE AND ESCALATE RADICAL ATTITUDES AMONG PRISONERS. THE MOST VITAL FINDINGS OF THE RESEARCH INDICATE THAT A SIZEABLE MINORITY OF INMATES HAVE A WELL-DEVELOPED RADICAL WORLD VIEW; THAT RADICAL ATTITUDES INCREASE IN THE EARLIER STAGES OF INCARCERATION AND CONTINUE TO INCREASE THROUGH AT LEAST THE NINTH MONTH OF CONFINEMENT; AND THAT PRISONER ATTRIBUTES IN THE FORM OF PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS AND CRIMINAL HISTORY STRONGLY AFFECT THE SOLIDIFICATION OF A POLITICALLY RADICAL WORLD VIEW. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED).