Information was obtained on a national sample of 1,205 inmates. Inmate files provided data on demographic characteristics, criminal records, drug and alcohol use, prison misconduct, prison education, furlough, drug treatment program participation, and postrelease plans. In studying recidivism for these inmates after release, it was argued that Federal prisons attempted to normalize the prison environment and improve the postrelease chances of inmates. Study findings revealed that, within 3 years of release from the Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP) in 1987, 40.8 percent of former inmates had been rearrested or had their parole revoked. Recidivism rates were highest during the first year back in the community; 11.3 percent of released inmates recidivated during the first 6 months after release, and 20.3 percent of released inmates recidivated during the first year. Recidivism rates were higher among blacks and Hispanics than among whites and non-Hispanics. Recidivism rates were almost the same for males and females and were inversely related to age at release (the older the person, the lower the recidivism rate). Among offense types, persons in Federal prison for fraud or drug trafficking had the lowest recidivism rates at 20.8 and 34.2 percent, respectively. Those in prison for robbery or other crimes against the person (excluding homicide, manslaughter, and sex offenses) had the highest recidivism rates at 64 and 65 percent, respectively. Other study findings are reported that characterize recidivism in terms of education, criminal justice supervision, drug abuse, prison misconduct, and employment. Implications of the study findings for BOP operations and future research are discussed. Additional information on normalizing policies, operations, and programs in the BOP is appended. 100 references, 22 endnotes, and 28 tables