IT ALSO CONTAINS A SERIES OF COMPARISONS BETWEEN THE 1973 DATA AND RECIDIVISM DATA OF FORMER YEARS. IT WAS FOUND THAT SINCE 1966, THE RATE OF RECIDIVISM IN MASSACHUSETTS HAS BEEN DECREASING AS HAS THE NATIONAL RATE AND THAT THE LOWEST RATE OF RECIDIVISM WAS FOUND AMONG PARTICIPANTS IN PRERELEASE PROGRAMS. IT WAS ALSO FOUND THAT THOSE RELEASED FROM MAXIMUM SECURITY INSTITUTIONS WERE MORE LIKELY TO COMMIT FURTHER CRIMES THAN WERE OFFENDERS RELEASED FROM MINIMUM OR MEDIUM SECURITY FACILITIES. FINDINGS REGARDING THE IMPACT OF THE CORRECTIONAL REFORM ACT OF 1972 ON RECIDIVISM ARE ALSO DISCUSSED.