THE SUBJECTS, WHOSE MEAN AGE WAS 18, HAD RECEIVED SENTENCES RANGING FROM 1 YEAR TO 2 YEARS LESS A DAY. ALL WERE FIRST INCARCERATES. TWO TO 4 WEEKS AFTER BEING INCARCERATED AND AGAIN 6 MONTHS LATER, THE SUBJECTS COMPLETED MULITPLE TESTS DESIGNED TO MEASURE SELF-ESTEEM (BENNETT SELF-ESTEEM INVENTORY, GOUGH-HEILBRUN ADJECTIVE CHECK LIST, SELECTED SCALES OF THE MINNESOTA MULTIPHASIC PERSONALITY INVENTORY). RECIDIVISM (RECONVICTION OR REINCARCERATION) CHECKS WERE MADE 2 YEARS AFTER THE SUBJECTS WERE RELEASED, AND SELF-ESTEEM SCORES WERE COMPARED TO RECIDIVISM OUTCOMES. THERE WAS A STRONG ASSOCIATION BETWEEN SELF-ESTEEM AND RECIDIVISM. THE BEST PREDICTOR OF RECIDIVISM WAS THE SELF-ESTEEM SCORE OBTAINED AFTER THE INMATE HAD ADJUSTED TO INCARCERATION AND WAS APPROACHING RELEASE. THE FINDINGS SUPPORT THE NOTION THAT SELF-ESTEEM IS RELATED TO POSTRELEASE ADJUSTMENT AND SHOULD THEREFORE BE THE SUBJECT OF ASSESSMENT AND TREATMENT IN CORRECTIONAL SETTINGS. DETAILS OF THE STATISTICAL ANALYSIS, SUPPORTING DATA, AND A LIST OF REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (LKM)