Over the past 12 years, the Kentucky Parole Board has chosen to reduce the number of inmates who are paroled when first eligible for parole and to increase the number of inmates who serve out their sentences. In 1984, 2,475 inmates came before the Parole Board for the first time; of these, 43.6 were paroled and only 10 percent were required to serve out their sentences. By 1995, 4,497 inmates appeared before the Parole Board for the first time; only 16 percent received parole, while 46 percent were required to serve out their sentences. In 1984, 55 percent of 3,845 inmates who had parole hearings were granted parole and 7.6 percent were required to complete their sentences. In 1995, of 7,279 inmates considered for parole, parole was recommended for 36 percent. Between 1984 and 1995, the percentage of inmates paroled declined by 19 percent, from 55 percent to 36 percent. During the same period, the percentage of inmates required to serve out their sentences increased by 25.3 percent, from 7.6 percent to 32.9 percent. In 1995, nearly 25 percent of drug offenders were required to serve out their sentences; 9 of 10 sex offenders were not paroled; and roughly 50 percent of sex offenders, 18 percent of violent offenders, and 30 percent of property offenders were required to serve out their sentences. The probability of receiving parole ranged from a low of 8.3 percent to a high of only 27.4 percent. Only 9 percent of persons with life sentences were paroled, only 6.25 percent of those serving life sentences were paroled at initial hearings, and parole for violators was revoked 97 percent of the time. 22 tables