THE SPLIT SENTENCE ATTEMPTS TO COMBINE THE ADVANTAGES OF PROBATION WITH SOME OF THE ADVANTAGES OF INCARCERATION. ON THE ONE HAND, IT ATTEMPTS TO AVOID THE LONG-TERM PRISON COMMITMENT AND SUBSEQUENT HARDENING OF ATTITUDES, WHILE AT THE SAME TIME PROVIDING CONSTANT SUPERVISION FOR A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. MOREOVER, IT IS INTENDED TO IMPRESS THE OFFENDER WITH THE HARDSHIPS AND PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS OF ISOLATION AND PRISON LIFE. THE AUTHORS COMPARED OHIO RELEASEES DURING 1966 AND 1970 WITH A MATCHED GROUP WHO WERE ELIGIBLE FOR SHOCK PROBATION DURING THE RESPECTIVE YEAR BUT WERE NOT GRANTED IT. A 'SUCCESS RATE' OF 85 PERCENT WAS FOUND FOR OFFENDERS RELEASED ON SHOCK PROBATION IN THAT THEY HAD NOT BEEN REINCARCERATED DURING THE FOLLOW-UP PERIOD. SUCCESS IS CONCENTRATED IN THAT GROUP FOR WHICH THE LAW INTENDEDTHE YOUNG, BUT NOT JUVENILE, THE PREVIOUSLY CONVICTED, BUT NOT HARD CORE, OFFENDER. IN SHORT, IT APPEARS THIS IS THE OFFENDER MOST IN NEED OF THE SHORT-TERM PRISON EXPERIENCE AND THE POTENTIAL 'SHOCK' VALUE OF SUCH AN EXPERIENCE. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)