BASED ON FIELD OBSERVATIONS, INTERVIEWS, AND ANALYSES OF TRANSCRIPTS OF THE INTERACTIONAL WORK OF CLINICIANS AT LIMA STATE HOSPITAL, A RECONSTRUCTION IS PROVIDED OF THE PROCEDURES BY WHICH COURT-ORDER PSYCHIATRIC EVALUATION TEAMS CATEGORIZE OFFENDERS AS 'MENTALLY ILL,' 'DANGEROUS,' OR 'IN NEED OF A MAXIMUM SECURITY ENVIRONMENT.' THE METHODOLOGICAL AND THEORETICAL ISSUES INVOLVED IN DOING FIELD RESEARCH INTO THE PROCESS OF PSYCHIATRIC EVALUATION ARE EXAMINED, ALONG WITH SOCIOLOGICAL CONSIDERATIONS AND AVAILABLE LITERATURE. FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH THE INVALIDITY OF PRESENT PREDICTIONS ARE DISCUSSED, AND SUGGESTIONS ARE OFFERED FOR A SYSTEMATIC EXAMINATION OF THE PROCESS USED TO GENERATE THE PREDICTIONS. THE USEFULNESS OF THE ETHNOMETHODOLOGICAL APPROACH IS ASSESSED, AND A THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK IS PROVIDED FOR ANALYZING THE DIAGNOSTIC WORK OF PSYCHIATRIC TEAM MEMBERS. THE SUBSTANTIVE FINDINGS OF THE STUDY ARE PRESENTED IN FIVE CHAPTERS. THE FIRST REVIEWS THE BACKGROUND OF THE MAJOR ACTORS INVOLVED IN THE PROCESS--THE PSYCHIATRIC PROFESSIONALS AND THEIR PATIENTS--AND DISCUSSES THE MANNER IN WHICH TEAM MEMBERS WERE RECRUITED AND TRAINED. SUBSEQUENT CHAPTERS ANALYZE THE INTERACTIONAL WORK INVOLVED IN REVIEWING PATIENTS, PROVIDE A HOLISTIC VIEW OF THE PATIENT REVIEW PROCESS, DESCRIBE AND ANALYZE THE PREVIEWING OF PATIENTS PRIOR TO THE PSYCHIATRIC REVIEW, EXAMINE THE CONVERSATIONAL FACTORS OF DIAGNOSTIC INTERVIEWS AND THE PROCESS TEAMS USE TO DOCUMENT PSYCHIATRIC EVIDENCE, AND OUTLINE THE POSTVIEWING OF PATIENTS (I.E., THE PROCEDURES BY WHICH TEAMS COME TO AND OBJECTIFY THEIR DECISIONS). FINALLY, THE THEORETICAL AND APPLIED IMPLICATIONS OF VIEWING DIAGNOSTIC WORK AS A PRACTICAL SOCIAL ACCOMPLISHMENT ARE DISCUSSED, AND IT IS CONCLUDED THAT PSYCHIATRIC OPINIONS ARE ESSENTIALLY POLITICAL JUDGMENTS INHERENTLY BOUND BY, AND DEPENDENT UPON, A VARIETY OF ONGOING SOCIAL OR SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGICAL PROCESSES THAT MAY HAVE LITTLE TO DO WITH THE PSYCHIATRIC OR EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS OF THE PATIENTS. SUCH JUDGMENTS SHOULD BE 'DEEXPERTIZED' THROUGH A SYSTEM OF PUBLIC ADVOCACY AND ADJUDICATION. NOTES AND TABLES ARE PROVIDED, ALONG WITH A BIBLIOGRAPHY AND SUBJECT AND NAME INDEXES. (KBL)