PROBLEMS INVOLVED IN TEACHING VOCATIONAL SKILLS IN PRISONS BEGIN WITH THE FACT THAT PEOPLE ARE SENT TO PRISON FOR COMMITTING CRIMES, NOT BECAUSE THEY LACK JOB SKILLS. TRAINING IN PRISON UNIVERSALLY IS RELEGATED TO A SUBORDINATE POSITION BEHIND CONCERNS FOR SECURITY AND DAILY MANAGEMENT. FROM A CAPITALIST LABOR MARKET PERSPECTIVE, OFFENDERS' STATUS IS MARGINAL DUE TO THEIR PREDISPOSITION AND SOCIALIZATION. TYPICALLY OFFENDERS ARE EXCLUDED FROM THE DOMINANT PRIMARY LABOR MARKET, WHERE THEIR LIFESTYLE RENDERS THE VALUE OF THEIR LABOR UNPROFITABLE. INSTEAD, OFFENDERS PARTICIPATE IN SECONDARY MARKETS CHARACTERIZED BY LOW WAGES AND IRREGULAR WORK. HOWEVER, PRISON TRAINING PROGRAMS USUALLY ARE DIRECTED TOWARD PRIMARY JOBS FOR WHICH THE OFFENDER CANNOT COMPETE. SUCH A VIEW SUGGESTS TWO DIRECTIONS FOR OFFENDER TRAINING. THE MARGINAL ECONOMIC POSITION OF OFFENDERS SHOULD BE RECOGNIZED. IN MORE TRADITIONAL TRAINING, EMPHASIS SHOULD BE PLACED ON JOBS AND SKILLS THAT ASSIST THE OFFENDER IN FINDING EMPLOYMENT. BEYOND THIS, CONSIDERATION SHOULD BE GIVEN TO THE COST EFFECTIVENESS OF TRAINING OFFENDERS TO WORK FOR THEMSELVES. SERIOUS EFFORTS TO TRAIN OFFENDERS FOR SELF-EMPLOYMENT COULD BUILD ON THE OFFENDERS' STRENGTHS, CREATE SERVICES OF CONSIDERABLE SOCIAL VALUE, AND SUBSTANTIALLY IMPROVE THE OFFENDERS' OWN ECONOMIC WELL-BEING. A LIST OF REFERENCES IS INCLUDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--LKM)