THE PRISONERS RATED 13 GROUPS, INCLUDING THEMSELVES, ACCORDING TO PERCEIVED TRUSTWORTHINESS, HONESTY, 'SAFENESS,' ATTITUDE TOWARD THE LAW, NONVIOLENCE, FRANKNESS, AND SANITY. THE INMATES RATED THEMSELVES QUITE POSITIVELY (JUST BEHIND PRIESTS AND MINISTERS, PHYSICIANS, AND SCIENTISTS) AND RATED PRISON GUARDS AND OTHER INMATES MOST NEGATIVELY. RATED INBETWEEN WERE BUSINESSMEN, LAWYERS, WOMEN, COLLEGE STUDENTS, POLITICIANS, PEOPLE IN GENERAL, AND POLICE OFFICERS. THE INMATES TENDED TO PERCEIVE THOSE DIRECTLY INVOLVED IN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM MORE NEGATIVELY AND TENDED TO PERCEIVE THEMSELVES AS LESS CRIMINAL (I.E., MORE LAW ABIDING) THAN MEMBERS OF ALL BUT THREE OF THE OTHER STATUS GROUPS. THE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT PENOLOGY SHOULD FOCUS ON UTILIZING INMATES' POSITIVE SELF-IMAGE AND ON IMPROVING THEIR PERCEPTIONS OF OTHER GROUPS, PARTICULARLY OTHER INMATES, GUARDS, POLICE, AND THE GENERAL PUBLIC. TABULAR DATA AND A LIST OF REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED.