THE PENITENTIARY MAINTAINS A MAXIMUM SECURITY UNIT THAT RECEIVES AND HOUSES RULE VIOLATORS, INSTITUTIONAL PREDATORS, AND POTENTIAL VICTIMS UNDER SEVERAL TYPES OF CUSTODY CLASSIFICATIONS (PUNITIVE SEGREGATION, PUNITIVE ISOLATION, ADMINISTRATIVE SEGREGATION, AND PROTECTIVE CUSTODY). OBJECTIVES OF THIS RESEARCH EFFORT WERE AS FOLLOWS: (1) TO STUDY THE FORTRESS PRISON AS AN ORGANIZATIONAL TYPE AND SHOW THAT THE PRISON GIVES PRIMACY TO CONTROL OVER ALL OTHER INSTITUTIONAL GOALS, INCLUDING REHABILITATION; (2) TO TRACE THE DEVELOPMENT OF PRISON MANAGEMENT MODELS AND RELATE THESE DIFFERENT STYLES OF MANAGEMENT TO DISCIPLINARY POLICIES AND PRACTICES; (3) TO RELATE PREVAILING CORRECTIONAL IDEOLOGIES OF RAPIDLY CHANGING ADMINISTRATIVE REGIMES TO THE OPERATION OF A FORTRESS PRISON SUCH AS THE WASHINGTON STATE PENITENTIARY; (4) TO EXAMINE THE EFFECTS OF DIFFERENT TYPES OF PRISONS, THE AVAILABILITY OF DRUGS, INCREASING VIOLENCE INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE PRISON, AND OTHER EXTERNAL VARIABLES ON THE MANAGEMENT OF PRISON DISCIPLINE; (5) TO TEST CONCEPTIONS OF PRISONIZATION AND ANTICIPATORY SOCIALIZATION DEVISED BY CLEMMER AND WHEELER; AND (6) TO DEVELOP A TYPOLOGY OF 'HOLERS' PRISONERS PUNISHED BY THE USE OF SOLITARY CONFINEMENT BASED ON EMPIRICAL FINDINGS. AN EXPERIMENTAL GROUP OF 306 INMATES AND A COMPARISON GROUP OF 400 INMATES WERE CHOSEN TO REFLECT INSTITUTIONAL POLICIES AND PRACTICES IN DIFFERENT ADMINISTRATIVE PERIODS OF THE PENITENTIARY DATA ON EACH INMATES' SOCIAL AND DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS, CRIMINAL RECORD, INSTITUTIONAL BEHAVIOR, AND PAROLE DECISIONS WERE GATHERED AND ANALYZED. FINDINGS SHOW THAT FROM 1966 TO 1975, THERE WAS AN UNPRECEDENTED INCREASE IN USE OF SOLITARY CONFINEMENT AS A MEANS OF INMATE CONTROL, A DECLINE IN EMPHASIS ON RULE VIOLATIONS AS WARRANTING SEGREGATION, AND A CONCOMITANT INCREASE IN USE OF THE MAXIMUM SECURITY UNIT FOR ADMINISTRATIVE AND PROTECTIVE CUSTODY PURPOSES. THE GREATEST INCREASE WAS IN THE USE OF SUSPENDED SOLITARY CONFINEMENT SENTENCES. THERE WERE DECLINES IN USE OF PUNITIVE ISOLATION, ADMINISTRATIVE SEGREGATION, PROTECTIVE CUSTODY, AND IN RATES OF CHARGES CONNECTED WITH BOTH ESCAPE AND GENERAL PRISON RULE INFRACTIONS. IT WAS POSSIBLE TO IDENTIFY FOUR TYPES OF PRISONERS IN THE MAXIMUM SECURITY UNIT: INCIDENTAL/ACCIDENTAL, EARLY STARTERS, LATE BLOOMERS, AND CHRONICS. THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE RESEARCH FINDINGS ARE DISCUSSED, AND SUPPORTING DATA ARE PROVIDED. APPENDIXES CONTAIN INFORMATION ON THE HISTORY OF THE WASHINGTON STATE PENITENTIARY, STATE ADMINISTRATIVE CODES, AND THE FORM USED IN THE SOLITARY CONFINEMENT STUDY. REFERENCES AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE INCLUDED. (DEP)