FIFTY RECENTLY RELEASED PAROLEES WERE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO BOTH AN EXPERIMENTAL GROUP (BONABOND, INC., AN ORGANIZATION OF EX-OFFENDERS) AND A CONTROL GROUP OF DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS PAROLE OFFICERS AS PART OF THEIR REGULAR CASELOADS. BASED ON A COMPARISON OF REARREST RECORDS, CASE DISPOSITIONS, AND PAROLEE STATUS FOR THE TWO GROUPS AT THE END OF TWO YEARS, TWO CONCLUSIONS WERE SUGGESTED: EITHER THAT THE EX-OFFENDER AS PAROLE OFFICER PROJECT WAS SUCCESSFUL SINCE THEIR PAROLEE GROUP PERFORMED COMPARABLY TO THE PROFESSIONALLYSUPERVISED GROUP, OR THAT RECIDIVISM RATES OF PAROLEES ARE NOT INFLUENCED TO ANY GREAT EXTENT, EVEN BY THOSE WHO HAVE FIRST-HAND KNOWLEDGE OF THE PROBLEMS, NEEDS, AND GOALS OF THOSE WITH WHOM THEY ARE DEALING. THE EFFECT OF THE DIFFERENT CASELOAD SIZES (25 FOR BONABOND, 50 FOR PAROLE OFFICERS) ON PROJECT OUTCOME IS ALSO DISCUSSED.