THIS ANALYSIS FIRST EXAMINES THE JUDICIAL AND STATUTORY REQUIREMENTS RELATING TO PAROLE AND TO DETERMINE TO WHAT EXTENT THE PAROLE SYSTEM, INCLUDING THE SENTENCING AND ELIGIBILITY MECHANISM, THE PAROLING AUTHORITIES, AND THE PAROLE SUPERVISION PROCESS, OPERATES ACCORDING TO THESE REGULATIONS. IT THEN ANALYZES THE PAROLE SYSTEM TO SEE HOW EFFECTIVELY AND EFFICIENTLY IT MEETS ITS OBJECTIVES AND WHETHER THIS PROCESS CONFORMS TO NATIONAL TRENDS AND STANDARDS. THE PAROLE DECISION-MAKING PROCESS, AS WELL AS THE INFORMATION COLLECTION AND DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM, IS ANALYZED IN THIS REPORT. THE OVERALL EFFECTIVENESS AND EFFICIENCY OF THE PAROLE SYSTEM ARE EXAMINED IN TERMS OF COST AND THE PAROLE RELEASE AND RETURN RATE. THE METHODOLOGY FOR THIS ANALYSIS INCLUDES, AMONG OTHER THINGS, SITE VISITS TO CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES AND PAROLE OFFICES, INTERVIEWS WITH A NUMBER OF PAROLE ADMINISTRATORS, AND SEVERAL SURVEYS OF DATA RELATED TO PAROLE DECISION-MAKING. NINETEEN SPECIFIC FINDINGS AND 16 RECOMMENDATIONS ARE REPORTED IN THE AREAS OF SYSTEM ORGANZIATION, SENTENCING AND PAROLE ELIGIBILITY, PAROLE DECISION-MAKING, PAROLE SUPERVISION, AND COSTS AND POPULATION MOVEMENT. ONE OF THE MAIN RECOMMENDATIONS IN THIS REPORT FOCUSES ATTENTION ON IMPROVING JUDICIAL CORRECTIONAL COMMUNICATION. OTHER RECOMMENDATIONS ARE DIRECTED AT IMPROVING PAROLE DECISION-MAKING BY EXPANDING THE USE OF DUE PROCESS PROVISIONS IN PAROLE HEARINGS, ESTABLISHING SPECIFIC CRITERIA FOR PAROLE RELEASE, AND IMPROVING THE INFORMATION SYSTEM FOR OFFENDER-RELATED DATA, INCLUDING SENTENCE COMPUTATIONS. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)