THE PROPOSED MODEL VIEWS THE ALTERNATE SOCIETY AS A SOCIAL STRUCTURE THROUGH WHICH INMATES SEEK TO MEET THEIR PHYSICAL, PSYCHOLOGICAL, AND SOCIAL NEEDS. IT IS HYPOTHESIZED THAT THIS SOCIETY IS SIGNIFICANTLY INFLUENCED BY THE TYPE OF ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE THAT PREVAILS IN THE INSTITUTION AND BY THE PREDISPOSITIONS THAT THE INMATES BRING WITH THEM TO THE SITUATION. THUS THE PROPOSED MODEL ATTEMPTS TO LINK THE IMPORTATION AND DEPRIVATION MODELS OF PRISONIZATION. THE EMPIRICAL STUDY EXPLORES A SERIES OF HYPOTHESES DEALING WITH PRISONIZATION, INTEGRATION, FRIENDSHIP PATTERNS, AND LEADERSHIP PATTERNS -- ALL RELATED TO THE ALTERNATE SOCIETY CONSTRUCT -- BY EXAMINING THE ACTIVITIES, CHARACTERISTICS, AND INTERRELATIONSHIPS OF INMATES AT TWO FEDERAL YOUTH CENTERS, ONE IN THE EAST AND ONE IN WEST. THE MAJORITY OF INMATES AT BOTH INSTITUTIONS WERE BETWEEN 18 AND 21 YEARS OF AGE. MOST WERE WHITE. STUDY FINDINGS SHOW THAT THE NORMATIVE CONTENT AND SOCIAL STRUCTURE OF THE INMATES' ALTERNATE SOCIETY VARY CONSIDERABLY FROM ONE ORGANIZATIONAL SETTING TO ANOTHER, SUPPORTING THE PREDICTION THAT INMATES IN MORE PERMISSIVE INSTITUTIONS WOULD BE MORE LIKELY TO MANIFEST COMMITMENT TO NONPRISONIZED ADAPTATIONS THAN WOULD INMATES IN RESTRICTIVE INSTITUTIONS. AT THE SAME TIME, THE FINDINGS SHOW THAT THE IMPORTATION CONCEPT IS MORE USEFUL THAN THE DEPRIVATION MODEL FOR EXPLAINING THE ORIENTATIONS OF CERTAIN INMATES. INMATES WHO WERE LESS INVOLVED IN A LIFE OF CRIME WERE AFFECTED SIGNIFICANTLY BY THE INSTITUTION'S ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE, WHEREAS INMATES WITH MORE EXTENSIVE CRIMINAL RECORDS TENDED NOT TO BE AFFECTED BY THE ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE. IMPLICATIONS OF FINDINGS ARE DISCUSSED, AMONG THEM THE SUGGESTIONS THAT FIRST OFFENDERS SHOULD BE PLACED IN A LESS RESTRICTIVE SETTING TO AVOID THE PROCESS OF PRISONIZATION. SUPPORTING DATA AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE PROVIDED. (LKM)