THE GENERAL HYPOTHESIS STATED THAT CRIMINAL SELF-CONCEPTION IS FUNCTIONALLY RELATED TO THE INMATE'S CRIMINAL ACTS, REFERENCE GROUPS, REFERENCE CATEGORIES, AND DEFINITION OF THE SITUATION. DATA FOR THE STUDY WERE OBTAINED FROM 105 OF 133 AVAILABLE INMATES AT THE WISCONSIN HOME FOR WOMEN AT TAYCHEEDAH. STATISTICAL MEASURES OF ASSOCIATION WERE DETERMINED BY THE HYPOTHESIS AND GOALS OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM. BACKGROUND INFORMATION ON INMATES INCLUDED THEIR AGE, RACE, FORMAL EDUCATIONAL LEVEL, AND CRIMINAL OFFENSE. THE STUDY SUPPORTED THE GENERAL HYPOTHESIS. FEMALE INMATES WHO PERCEIVED THEMSELVES AS CRIMINAL TENDED TO HAVE REFERENCE GROUPS WHICH ALSO VIEWED THEM AS CRIMINAL. FEMALE INMATES WHO DID NOT PERCEIVE THEMSELVES AS CRIMINAL TENDED TO PERCEIVE THEIR REFERENCE CATEGORY AS NONCRIMINAL. INMATES WHO HAD COMMITTED A CRIME CONSIDERED SERIOUS BY THE COURTS WERE LIKELY TO REPORT THEMSELVES AS CRIMINAL, WHILE INMATES WHO DID NOT HAVE A CRIMINAL SELF-CONCEPTION BUT WHO HAD COMMITTED A SERIOUS CRIME TENDED NOT TO HAVE NEGATIVE REFERENCES. THERE WAS NO CLEAR INDICATION THAT INMATES WHO COMMITTED A SERIOUS CRIME HAD REFERENCE GROUPS WHICH THEY THOUGHT PERCEIVED THEM AS CRIMINAL. FEMALES WHO DEFINED THEIR CRIMINAL ACTS AS SERIOUS TENDED TO PERCEIVE THEMSELVES AS CRIMINAL. WOMEN WHO DEFINED THEIR CRIME AS LESS SERIOUS WERE NOT LIKELY TO CONSIDER THEMSELVES AS CRIMINAL. FEMALE INMATES WHO HAD A CRIMINAL SELF-CONCEPTION TENDED TO HAVE THAT SELF-CONCEPTION UPON ARRIVAL AT THE PENAL INSTITUTION. SUPPORTING DATA ARE TABULATED, AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY IS PROVIDED. APPENDIXES CONTAIN THE STUDY QUESTIONNAIRE AND ADDITIONAL TABULAR DATA. (DCP)