The subjects were 20 inmate patients at a psychiatric center and 20 staff members from the center. Alpha waves were measured using EEG, and participants were given feedback about the condition of their brain waves during the 5 1-year training sessions. All participants completed a postexperiment questionnaire concerning perceptions of success, strategies used to control brain waves, and subjective changes. Mean alpha frequencies were higher for offenders than for the controls, while alpha density was lower. The violent-offender participants demonstrated significantly higher frequencies than the nonviolent offenders, but exhibited lower alpha densities and integrated amplitudes. Biofeedback training did not significantly raise the alpha production levels of any of the groups, either with eyes open or closed. Members of all three groups utilized the same strategies in attempting to increase alpha levels. Differences among the groups may have been due to differences in arousal levels in the cortical area. A graph and 35 references are included. (Author abstract modified)