A total of 632 prisoners from a variety of penal institutions and 591 undergraduate college students were administered the measuring instrument. Prisoners expressed a strong consensus as to appropriate levels of penal sanctions for convicted criminals but differed from nonprisoners' attitudes toward sentencing, except in such cases as incest. This finding of nonagreement between prisoners and nonprisoners is not inconsistent with the premises of equity theory upon which this study is based. When the theory suggests that individuals accept a code of fairness and justice, it is not implied that everyone internalizes standards of fairness and justice, the extent of this internalization process is unknown. To reconcile the discrepancy between prisoners and nonprisoners, modification of prisoners' or nonprisoners' views is suggested. However, it may be more realistic to accept these differences and to proceed in the area of correctional reform. In addition, if the public's empathy with prisoners is not a factor in the selection of penal sanctions, as the study implied, more credence should be attributed to attitude studies and opinion polls indicating a punitive trend. Data tables and about 200 references are included. The study instrument is appended.