When understanding the factors and processes that are affecting the probability of the antisocial behavior, especially during the regulation of unethical and antisocial behavior, the feelings of guilt and shame have a very important role, as well as taking the responsibility for your own behavior. Thus, aims of this research were to examine the general distress, the feelings of shame and guilt among prisoners, as well as the feelings of shame, guilt and responsibility in relation to their criminal offence, regarding the type of criminal offence, the length and terms of the prison sentence and the history of previous imprisonment. This survey was conducted on a convenience sample of 674 adult prisoners from all jails and prisons in the Republic of Croatia. The research revealed the relatively satisfactory psychometric characteristics of the Croatian adaptation of the Distress and Responsibility Scale (DRS, Xuereb et al., 2009), which was for the first time used in Croatia. In general, the results have shown that prisoners serving the sentence in (semi)open conditions; those without history of previous imprisonment; those serving a shorter prison sentence, and those who committed non-violent criminal offences show less chronic distress and chronic responsibility. Prisoners who served their sentences in the closed conditions and who had history of previous imprisonment show, related to the crime they committed, significantly more distress and feeling of rejection. The findings indicate the importance of negative emotions and attributes in the treatment and rehabilitation of prisoners.