3 studies are reported which identified and measured social reinforcers occurring among inmates and staff in institutions for delinquent children. Obervation and coding procedures were derived from interpersonal communication and operant conditioning research. Results indicate that the social living system of a correctional institution tends to reinforce delinquent responses and to punish socially conforming responses and, the delinquency reinforcing responses tend to occur on non-verbal levels of communication. Implications for re-scheduling reinforcers within the social system are discussed.