The correctional officers were employed at a Nevada medium security facility. About half were white and under 30 years old; most had little prison experience and were classified as correctional officer trainees. Most had some college education, came from working class families, and had relatives with law enforcement experience. A total of 48 males and 14 females responded with one respondent failing to indicate sex. Reasons for entering the correctional field included career plans, job interest, job security, and need for employment. Major correctional officer problems were security, inmate relations, staff relations, and inadequate training. Most of the officers perceived conflict with treatment staff. A slight majority were very committed to their jobs and enjoyed their work. Most of the respondents exhibited liberal, open-minded attitudes toward inmates; however, 81.9 percent felt that inmates tried to take advantage of officers and 83.6 percent felt most inmates belonged in prison. A total of 84 percent saw protection for society as the major reason for incarceration and 57.1 percent selected rehabilitation as an incarceration reason. Nearly half supported punishment as an institutional purpose, and 72.1 percent felt that rehabilitation programs were not worth the time and money spent on them. Over 90 percent of the officers felt that drugs and alcohol were the major factors in criminal behavior; 76.2 felt that crime was most often caused by poverty, while only 7.9 percent felt that individuals were born criminals. There were few differences between the attitudes of the respondents based on sex or race. Most females and nonwhites did not expect to remain on the job for very long. The high proportion of females and nonwhites in the group may be a reflection of general changes in hiring practices. Tabular data is included.