A REVIEW OF LITERATURE ON RACIAL FACTORS IN PRISON STUDIES ATTESTS TO THE DEARTH OF INFORMATION ON THE SUBJECT AS WELL AS THE NEED FOR SYSTEMATIC ANALYSIS OF THE IMPACT THAT RACE CONSCIOUSNESS HAS ON THE ORGANIZATION OF SOCIAL RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN PRISONS. STUDY DATA WERE COLLECTED BY OBSERVING SITUATIONS IN THE MIDWESTERN WOMEN'S PRISON FOR 2 YEAR, REVIEWING INMATES' FILES, AND STUDYING INSTITUTIONAL RECORDS AND MANUALS. FORMAL INTERVIEWS WERE HELD WITH ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF. CONCENTRATED INFORMATION WAS COMPILED INTO PROFILES OF 74 PERCENT OF THE INMATES AND 50 PERCENT OF THE STAFF. THE PROFILES INCLUDED ANY ACT, ATTITUDE, OPINION, RELATIONSHIP, AND EVENT CONCERNING A PARTICULAR INMATE OR STAFF MEMBER. AN ANALYSIS OF THE PROFILES INDICATED INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES IN INMATES' NEED FOR THE 'GROUP' (INFORMAL BUT POWERFUL INMATE GROUPS WITHIN PRISON SOCIETY) AND THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE GROUP ACCEPTED SOME PERSONS MORE THAN OTHERS. APPARENTLY, THE AUTHORITATIVE PATTERN OF ORGANIZING RELATIONSHIPS WITHIN THE PRISON IS INADEQUATE FOR MAINTAINING CONTROL SINCE INMATES DO NOT COMPLY OBEDIENTLY WITH STAFF WISHES. INSTEAD THE STAFF HAS TO SOLICIT THE AID OF THE INMATES TO PARTICIPATE IN THEIR OWN SELF-CONTROL AND SELF-MAINTENANCE BY ENGAGING IN INNOVATIVE MEANS OF MANIPULATION; E.G., FOSTERING SUSPICIONS BETWEEN GROUPS OF WHITE AND BLACK INMATES SO THAT THEY WILL NOT BAND TOGETHER. THREE POWER BASES EMERGE RESULTING FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT'S EFFORTS TO RESTRATIFY THE SOCIAL POSITIONS WITHIN THE PRISON, THE CORRECTIONAL OFFICERS' EFFORTS TO MANIPULATE THE INMATES, AND THE INMATES' EFFORTS TO MAKE A TOLERABLE EXISTENCE WITHIN THE PRISON. APPARENT RACIAL DISCRIMINATION WAS PERCEIVED IN JOB PLACEMENT FOR BOTH BLACK STAFF AND INMATES, AND RACE CONSCIOUSNESS WAS USED AS A MEANS OF SOCIAL CONTROL AND SCAPEGOATING. THE ACTIVE SOCIAL SYSTEM IS CONSTITUTED OF RACE-CONSCIOUS PARTICIPANTS WHO SEEK TO RELIEVE THEMSELVES OF PRECARIOUS POSITIONS WITHIN THE SOCIAL STRUCTURE BY MANIPULATIVE REPOSITIONING, COOPTATION, AND USURPATION. TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)