EVALUATION IS BASED ON STATISTICAL ANALYSIS OF RECIDIVISM DATA ON THE FIRST GROUP OF OFFENDERS TO COMPLETE THE EIGHTEEN MONTH PRE-PAROLE PROGRAMS IN JANUARY, 1974. IT WAS FOUND THAT INDIVIDUALS WHO HAD COMPLETED THE COMBINED PRE-RELEASE PROGRAMS UNDER STUDY HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER RATES OF RECIDIVISM THAN A CONTROL GROUP OF SIMILAR TYPES OF INMATES WHO HAD NOT PARTICIPATED IN A PRE-RELEASE PROGRAM. A SERIES OF INMATE TYPES WHICH SEEM TO BE DISPROPORTIONATELY HELPED BY PRE-RELEASE PROGRAM PARTICIPATION WAS TENTATIVELY IDENTIFIED. BOTH FINDINGS ARE SAID TO BE TENTATIVE, PENDING THE COMPLETION OF FURTHER RESEARCH, NOW CURRENTLY IN PROGRESS AT THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)