A TEAM OF PSYCHIATRISTS CONDUCTED THE INVESTIGATION BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 1973 AND SEPTEMBER 1974. A CROSS-SECTION OF DIFFERENT AGE GROUPS WAS TAKEN WITH 15 INMATES OF LESS THAN 21 YEARS OLD, 116 AGE 21-41, 70 AGE 41-51, AND 4 AGE OVER 51. CATEGORIES ACCORDING TO OFFENSE WERE DETAILED, WITH OVERALL PERCENTAGES BEING FOR CRIMES AGAINST PROPERTY--68 PERCENT, AGAINST PERSONS--17 PERCENT, AND AGAINST SOCIETY--12 PERCENT; THERE WERE ALSO THREE DRUG-RELATED OFFENSES. SHORT CASE HISTORIES ANALYZED MEDICALLY AND SOCIOCULTURALLY REVEALED THREE OUTSTANDING OFFENDER PROFILES. SWINDLERS WERE SHOWN TO BE SPECIALISTS IN BREACHES OF CONFIDENCE AND MYTHOMANIA, VERY EASYGOING, NOT EXCEPTIONALLY INTELLIGENT, WITH NO STRONG OPINIONS ABOUT SOCIETY, BUT EXTREMELY OPTIMISTIC ABOUT THE FUTURE. SEXUAL OFFENDERS WERE THE MOST UNCOMFORTABLE, NEVER DENYING OUTRIGHT THEIR OFFENSE, NOR ADMITTING TO IT READILY, BADLY ACCEPTED BY OTHER INMATES, APPEARING NERVOUS AND ANXIOUS, AND BURDENED WITH GUILT FEELINGS. FINALLY, OFFENDERS MARKED BY SYSTEMATIC DENIAL SYNDROMES ('DENIERS') WERE MOST OFTEN NORTH AFRICAN, PARTICULARLY ALGERIAN. SEVERAL EXPLANATIONS WERE OFFERED FOR THIS PHENOMENON; E.G., THE SUBJECT IMMIGRATES TO FRANCE TO EARN MONEY TO SEND HOME TO THE FAMILY, IN A MOMENT OF WEAKNESS COMMITS A CRIME, AND THEN REFUSES TO ADMIT TO IT IN FEAR OF A LOSS OF SELF-RESPECT OR A LOSS OF FACE BEFORE THE FAMILY. THE MEDICAL DIAGNOSES MADE AND TREATMENT OFFERED BY THE PSYCHIATRIC TEAM (FOR 19 OUT OF THE 205) ARE DISCUSSED, ALONG WITH A PROPOSAL TO INVESTIGATE THE PRACTICE OF TATOOING IN PRISONS. NO REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. --IN FRENCH. (MHP)