THE PRISONERS WHO WERE STUDIED WERE INMATES OF THE TENNESSEE STATE PENITENTIARY AT NASHVILLE. THE PRINCIPAL POPULATION SAMPLES CONSISTED OF 204 PRISONERS, 254 PROBATIONERS, AND 360 PAROLEES. INDICATORS OF HEALTH WHICH WERE STUDIED INCLUDED MORTALITY TRENDS, THE INCIDENCE OF ACUTE MORBIDITY CONDITIONS, THE PREVALENCE OF SELECTED CHRONIC DIGESTIVE CONDITIONS, THE PREVALENCE OF SELECTED SYMPTOMS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS, THE SYMPTOMATOLOGY OF MENTAL DISORDERS INCLUDING SELF-DESTRUCTIVE SEQUELAE, AND THE PREVALENCE OF BOTH SHORT AND LONG-TERM DISABILITY. THESE HEALTH INDICATORS WERE VALIDATED BY INDICATORS OF HEALTH CARE INCLUDING MEDICAL CONSULTATION, MEDICAL DIAGNOSIS, AND MEDICAL TREATMENT. INDICATORS OF HEALTH AND OF HEALTH CARE WERE EVALUATED ACCORDING TO DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES INCLUDING AGE, RACE, MARITAL STATUS, AND EDUCATION FOR ALL THREE POPULATION SAMPLES. INDICATORS OF HEALTH WERE EVALUATED FOR ALL POPULATION SAMPLES ACCORDING TO THE TYPE OF OFFENSE COMMITTED; AND FOR SAMPLE PRISONERS ACCORDING TO THE LENGTH OF TIME SPENT IN PRISON, PROPORTION OF CURRENT SENTENCE COMPLETED, AND LENGTH OF TIME REMAINING BEFORE ELIGIBILITY FOR PAROLE. PRISONERS WHO WERE SAMPLED REPORTED MOST VARIETIES OF MORBIDITY CONDITIONS DURING THE COURSE OF THIS STUDY AT MUCH HIGHER RATES THAN DID THE PROBATIONERS OR PAROLEES WHO WERE SAMPLED, WHO IN TURN REPORTED THESE CONDITIONS AT SIMILAR RATES. PRISONERS WHO WERE CONFINED FOR THE LONGEST OR SHORTEST TIME PERIODS REPORTED THESE CONDITIONS MORE OFTEN THAN OTHER PRISONERS. CHRONIC DIGESTIVE CONDITIONS AND SYMPTOMS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS WERE REPORTED BY PRISONERS AT HIGHER RATES THAN BY NON-INCARCERATED OFFENDERS. ACCESS TO PSYCHIATRIC TREATMENT WAS MINIMAL FOR BOTH THE PRISONERS AND NON-INCARCERATED OFFENDERS WHO WERE SAMPLED, BUT THE PRISONERS ENJOYED A MUCH GREATER ACCESS TO GENERAL MEDICAL TREATMENT THAN DID MOST OF THEIR NON-INCARCERATED COUNTERPARTS. NOTWITHSTANDING A GREATER ACCESS TO MEDICAL TREATMENT BY PRISONERS COMPARED WITH PROBATIONERS AND PAROLEES, THIS STUDY CONCLUDES THAT IMPRISONMENT AT TENNESSEE STATE PENITENTIARY WAS MORE DANGEROUS TO THE PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH OF MANY INMATES THAN LIFE OUTSIDE OF PRISON IN TENNESSEE WOULD HAVE BEEN DURING THE STUDY PERIOD. A 44-PAGE BIBLIOGRAPHY, THE STUDY QUESTIONNAIRE, AND A TOTAL OF 187 TABLES OF STUDY DATA ARE APPENDED. FOR A LESS DETAILED DISCUSSION OF THIS STUDY, SEE NCJ-35950. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)