VOLUNTEER SUBJECTS WERE RANDOMLY SELECTED FROM 1,027 MALE INMATES AT MCNEIL ISLAND FEDERAL PENITENTIARY, WASH., AND FROM 1,300 MALE INMATES AT THE STATE PENITENTIARY IN WALLA WALLA, WASH. VOLUNTEERS WERE GIVEN A SELF-REPORTING QUESTIONNAIRE THAT ASKED SUBJECTS TO INDICATE THE YEARLY OCCURRENCE AND FREQUENCY OF 40 LIFE EVENTS OVER A 10-YEAR PERIOD. THIS GAVE LIFE-CHANGE DATA FOR 5 YEARS PRIOR TO IMPRISONMENT AND UP TO 5 YEARS AFTER IMPRISONMENT. EACH LIFE EVENT HAD A NUMERICAL SCORE DERIVED FROM THE SOCIAL READJUSTMENT RATING SCALE (SRRS) OR A SCALE MEASURING PSYCHOSOCIAL READJUSTMENTS TO VARIOUS LIFE EVENTS. THE INCORPORATION OF THE SRRS ITEMS INTO THE SCHEDULE OF RECENT EXPERIENCE, OR SRE, ALLOWED FOR THE PERIODIC QUANTIFICATION OF LIFE CHANGES AS THEY MIGHT RELATE TO PRISON INCARCERATION; THESE WERE EXPRESSED IN LIFE CHANGE UNITS (LCU'S). RESULTS SHOWED THAT RACE, AGE, AND LEVEL OF EDUCATION WERE ASSOCIATED WITH DIFFERENT LIFE-CHANGE PROFILES, WITH BLACK PRISONERS EXPERIENCING LOWER LCU'S THAN WHITE PRISONERS. COLLEGE-EDUCATED PERSONS SHOWED THE HIGHEST LCU SCORES AND ELEMENTARY-SCHOOL-EDUCATED, THE LOWEST. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE CRIMINAL LIFE STYLE REFLECTS ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR AS PART OF A SUBCULTURAL NORM AND THAT THIS LIFE STYLE IS REFLECTED IN THE QUANTITATIVE DIFFERENCES IN LIFE-EVENT FREQUENCIES. THE STUDY SHOWS ACCUMULATION OF LIFE-CHANGE EVENTS AND AN INCREASE IN LIFE-CHANGE MAGNITUDE THAT ACHIEVES CRISIS PROPORTIONS IN THE YEAR PRIOR TO INCARCERATION. FURTHER, THIS PATTERN OF LIFE-CHANGE FREQUENCY AND MAGNITUDE IS SIMILAR TO THAT OBSERVED AT THE ONSET OF A WIDE VARIETY OF HEALTH CHANGES. THE DATA CANNOT, HOWEVER, ADDRESS THE ISSUE OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR THAT GOES UNCHECKED--ONLY TO UNSUCCESSFUL CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR THAT LEADS TO INCARCERATION. FOOTNOTES ARE PROVIDED. (AOP)