WHILE CORRECTIONAL ADMINISTRATORS CONTEND THAT THEIR FACILITIES HAVE BECOME DEPOSITORIES FOR PRIOR AND POTENTIAL MENTAL PATIENTS, STAFF AT STATE MENTAL HOSPITALS ARE CONCERNED THAT THEIR CLIENTS ARE NOW MORE AGITATED, HOSTILE, AND ASSAULTIVE. AN ANALYSIS OF THE DATA REPORTED HERE ATTEMPTS TO DETERMINE THE VALIDITY OF THESE PERCEPTIONS. BOTH MENTAL HEALTH AND CRIMINAL DATA WERE GATHERED FOR ALL OFFENDERS RELEASED DURING 1968 AND 1975 FROM BOTH STATE PRISONS AND LOCAL JAILS IN ONE NEW YORK COUNTY. THE DATA PERMIT A DETERMINATION OF THE EXTENT TO WHICH MENTAL HOSPITALIZATION HISTORIES MAY HAVE CHANGED OVER THIS TIME PERIOD AND WHAT RELATIONSHIPS MAY EXIST BETWEEN PRIOR HOSPITALIZATION AND SUBSEQUENT CRIMINAL ACTIVITY. WHILE THERE HAS BEEN A MODEST RISE IN THE PERCENTAGE OF INMATES WITH MENTAL HOSPITALIZATION HISTORIES, THIS RISE FROM NINE TO TWELVE PERCENT WOULD NOT WARRANT THE MORE DRAMATIC RISE IN PERCEPTIONS (ALTHOUGH THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF PRIOR HOSPITALIZATIONS PER INMATE DID ALMOST DOUBLE ON BOTH THE LOCAL AND STATE LEVEL). IN ADDITION, NO RELATIONSHIP WAS FOUND BETWEEN PRIOR HOSPITALIZATION AND SUBSEQUENT CRIMINAL ACTIVITY. IT IS THEREFORE DIFFICULT TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE REPORTED INCREASED AWARENESS OF CORRECTIONAL ADMINISTRATORS REPRESENTS CHANGES IN INMATE CHARACTERISTICS OR WHETHER A NEW SET OF EXPECTATIONS HAS EVOLVED ABOUT PSYCHIATRIC CONTRIBUTIONS AFFECTING INMATE BEHAVIOR. IMPLICATIONS FOR CORRECTIONAL FACILITY MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES ARE DISCUSSED. ONE TABLE AND EIGHT REFERENCES ARE APPENDED.