176 prisoners and 123 probationers were administered the Responsibility and Self-Esteem Questionnaire (RSEQ which taps attribution of responsibility and self-esteem. Factor analyses yielded four factors in both samples. The prisoners stated external causes for their present status as well as for future change in status. However, the younger probationers were more concerned with a sense of low self-esteem and a lack of social skills. Results showed a clear developmental difference in the causal explanations offered for their predicament. Implications of these results for different rehabilitative approaches for the two age groups are discussed.