Conviction on a new felony charge was the cause of return of 24.8 percent, while violation of parole resulted in the return of 25.6 percent. Just over 64 percent of the returns were back in prison within 2 years. The median time to return was 20 months. Women returned to custody at a much lower rate (35.4 percent) than did men (51.2 percent). Persons committed for burglary had the highest rate of return (59.7 percent), while manslaughter commitments had the lowest return rate (22.8 percent) The return rate by region was 52.2 percent for New York City compared to 44.3 percent for suburban New York City and 47.3 percent for upstate areas. Comparisons with similar inmate groups for 1972-86 reveals that the rate of return reached a low of 33.6 percent in 1972, mainly due to a low level of parole violations. Since 1972, both returns for new felony commitments and returns for violations of parole have contributed to the increase in returns. Tables, figures, and appended tables