THE ASSIGNMENT OF PRISON TERM IS SEEN TO CONSIST OF TWO MAJOR FACTORS: CRIME SERIOUSNESS AND RISK OF RECIDIVISM. ALTHOUGH SERIOUSNESS CAN BE JUDGED FROM THE CRIME CATEGORY, RISK JUDGMENTS REQUIRE FURTHER DETAILS ABOUT THE OFFENSE AND THE OFFENDER. SIXTY-FOUR COLLEGE STUDENTS AND 24 EXPERT PAROLE DECISIONMAKERS EVALUATED BRIEF CRIME REPORTS CONTAINING CRIME DESCRIPTIONS AND BACKGROUND INFORMATION ABOUT THE OFFENDER'S LIFE CIRCUMSTANCES. STUDENTS AND EXPERTS INFERRED OFFENSE SERIOUSNESS FROM THE CRIME DESCRIPTIONS, BUT THEY INFERRED RISK OF FUTURE CRIMES FROM THE BACKGROUND INFORMATION. AGREEMENT WAS HIGHEST FOR OFFENSE SEVERITY DERIVED FROM THE CRIME DESCRIPTIONS. DIFFERENCES OF OPINION SEEMED TO REFLECT THE EXPERTS' SPECIFIC KNOWLDGE ABOUT CRIMES AND CRIMINALS. A CLASSIFICATION OF THE BACKGROUND INFORMATION IN TERMS OF THE ATTRIBUTIONAL DIMENSIONS OF INTERNAL VERSUS EXTERNAL AND STABLE VERSUS UNSTABLE CAUSES OF THE CRIME WAS VERY SUCCESSFUL FOR PREDICTING STUDENTS' RESPONSES, BUT NOT THOSE OF THE EXPERTS. SAMPLE CRIME DESCRIPTIONS AND RESEARCH DATA ARE PRESENTED. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--VDA) (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--VDA)