THE USDB IS THE MAXIMUM-SECURITY INSTITUTION RESPONSIBLE FOR CONFINING MILITARY INMATES AND PROVIDING THE CORRECTIONAL TREATMENT NECESSARY TO RETURN THEM TO DUTY. IT IS LOCATED AT FORT LEAVENWORTH, KAN. THE USDB RECEIVES MEN COURTMARTIALED AND SENTENCED TO CONFINEMENT FROM 30 DAYS TO NATURAL LIFE FOR OFFENSES RANGING FROM AWOL (ABSENCE WITHOUT LEAVE) TO MURDER. THE MILITARY POLICE BLOTTER WAS THE PRIMARY DATA SOURCE OF THE STUDY. ALL INCIDENTS OF DISOBEDIENCE WERE EXTRACTED FROM IT FOR THE 1-YEAR PERIOD FROM MAY 1976 TO APRIL 1977. IN THE BLOTTER, 424 INCIDENTS WERE DETAILED INVOLVING 274 INMATES AND 201 GUARDS. THE INMATE POPULATION AVERAGES 1,000 MEN. BASED ON A PROFILE OF THE DISOBEDIENT INMATE, THE INMATE MOST VULNERABLE TO DISOBEDIENCE TENDED TO BE YOUNGER THAN HIS FELLOW INMATES; HIS CONFINING OFFENSES USUALLY OCCURED EARLY IN HIS MILITARY CAREER, BUT HIS DISOBEDIENCE AT THE USDB WAS UNRELATED TO THE AMOUNT OF TIME HE HAD BEEN CONFINED. THE INTERPERSONAL NATURE (INMATE-GUARD) OF DISOBEDIENCE WAS EVIDENT IN THE FACT THAT WELL OVER ONE-HALF OF THE CASES INCLUDED AN ADDITIONAL INFRACTION, USUALLY DISRESPECT. THE ANTECEDENTS FOR THAT CONFLICT MAY LIE IN THE RACIAL AND CULTURAL DIFFERENCES THAT EXISTED BETWEEN INMATES AND GUARDS. FOR EXAMPLE, THE DISPROPORTIONATELY HIGH NUMBER OF BLACK INMATES CITED TENDED TO COME FROM URBAN AREAS, WHEREAS THE GUARDS WERE FROM SMALL OR RURAL COMMUNITIES. EDUCATION, INTELLIGENCE, AND HOME OF RECORD DID NOT SIGNIFICANTLY CORRELATE WITH DISOBEDIENCE. REFERENCE LIST IS PROVIDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED -- MLC)