THE SUBJECTS WERE 386 RANDOMLY SELECTED STATE PRISONERS REPRESENTING MALE FELONS, MALE CIVIL ADDICTS, FEMALE FELONS, AND FEMALE CIVIL ADDICTS. A 49-ITEM MEASURE OF ATTITUDES TOWARD A BROAD SPECTRUM OF STAFF POSITIONS AND DUTIES WAS ADMINISTERED TO THE INMATES, WITH THREE PREFERENCE CATEGORIES--PREFERENCE FOR THE SAME SEX, NO PREFERENCE, AND PREFERENCE FOR THE OPPOSITE SEX. MULTIVARIATE DIFFERENCES WERE ASCERTAINED BY MEANS OF MULTIPLE DISCRIMINANT ANALYSIS. ALTHOUGH MOST COMPARISONS SUGGESTED EITHER NEUTRALITY OR A TENDENCY TO FAVOR OPPOSITE-SEX PERSONNEL, A TREND ALSO EMERGED THAT APPEARED TO REFLECT COMMON SEX ROLE STEREOTYPES. FURTHERMORE, THERE WAS CONSIDERABLE VARIABILITY IN THE RESPONSES OF THE SUBJECTS. FELONS, ESPECIALLY MALES, TENDED TO BE LESS ACCEPTING OF CROSS-SEX EMPLOYEE ASSIGNMENTS THAN CIVILLY COMMITTED NARCOTIC ADDICTS, PARTICULARLY IN REGARD TO DUTIES THAT INVOLVE INTRUSION ON THE PHYSICAL PRIVACY OF INMATES. THESE FINDINGS SUGGEST THAT THE ATTITUDES OF PRISONERS, AS WELL AS OTHER ASPECTS OF INSTITUTIONAL SOCIAL CLIMATES, SHOULD BE ASSESSED PERIODICALLY, BOTH IN PLANNING FOR SPECIFIC CHANGES AND IN ATTEMPTING TO MAINTAIN CUSTODIAL ENVIRONMENTS THAT ARE MAXIMALLY RESPONSIBLE TO THE LEGITIMATE NEEDS OF INMATES. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)