THE EXPERIMENTAL SUBJECTS RANGED IN AGE FROM 11 TO 18, HAD BEEN CONVICTED OF A VAREITY OF OFFENSES (ASSAULT THEFT, WANDERING, TRAVELING WITHOUT A TICKET, ETC.). AND HAD BEEN REMANDED TO A GOVERNMENT SCHOOL. THE CONTROLS WERE OF THE SAME AGE GROUP AND SOCIOECONOMIC STATUS AS THE DELINQUENTS. NO SEX CHROMATIN ABNORMALITIES WERE FOUND IN ANY OF THE SUBJECTS. THERE WAS NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL SUBJECTS ON ANY OF THE DERMATOGLYPHIC READINGS. THE FINDINGS DO NOT INDICATE A ROLE FOR HEREDITARY FACTORS IN THE ETIOLOGY OF DELINQUENT BEHAVIOR. HOWEVER, THE SAMPLE SIZE WAS RELATIVELY SMALL, AND THE NATURE OF THE OFFENSE COMMITTED BY THE EXPERIMENTAL SUBJECTS WAS DIFFERENT FROM THAT IN BEHAVIORALLY ABERRANT POPULATIONS IN WHICH CHROMOSOME ABNORMALITIES HAVE BEEN FOUND. A LIST OF REFERENCES AND SUPPORTING DATA ARE INCLUDED. (LKM)