Of the 11,921 hearings involving eligible inmates, 7,804 (66 percent) were issued certificates prior to their initial board; 3,013 (25 percent) were denied certificates and 1,104 (9 percent) were determined to be noncertifiable for earned eligibility at the time of review. Inmates issued certificates were substantially more likely to be granted parole than those denied certificates or those granted noncertifiable status. During the period, 79 percent of inmates issued certificates were granted parole, compared to 45 percent of inmates denied certificates and 54 percent of inmates granted noncertifiable status. Based on the previous 50 percent release rate at initial hearings, 5,961 initial releases were projected for the April-September 1993 period. The actual number of initial releases totaled 8,137, an additional 2,176 releases above the projected level. A followup study found that the return rate of inmates released with certificates was significantly lower than the return rate of a comparison group. 6 tables