THE 3-MEMBER BOARD OF PARDONS AND PAROLES OF THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS AND THE 321 EMPLOYEES OF THE PARDONS/PAROLES AGENCY HANDLED 22,147 PAROLE CASES AND 7,977 EXECUTIVE CLEMENCY CASES. A TOTAL OF 43,294 CASES WERE CONSIDERED BY THE INSTITUTIONAL SERVICES SECTION AND THE FIELD SERVICES SECTION. THE STAFF SERVICES SECTION COMPILES AND MAINTAINS SOME 37,000 PAROLEE AND INMATE FILES, IN ADDITION TO HANDLING ALL CLERICAL FUNCTIONS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PAROLE AND PARDON REVIEWS. THE TOTAL APPROPRIATION FOR THE YEAR WAS $4,477,190. DURING THE YEAR, 17,342 INMATES WERE UNDER PAROLE SUPERVISION; 932 PAROLES (5.4 PERCENT) WERE OFFICIALLY REVOKED FOR VIOLATIONS. OF THE 7,580 INMATES RELEASED DURING THE FISCAL YEAR, 165 OR 2 PERCENT, HAD PAROLE REVOKED. A STUDY OF 68,263 INMATES RELEASED OVER A 30-YEAR PERIOD ON PAROLE OR CONDITIONAL PARDONS FOUND THAT 20,422 HAD SERVED PREVIOUS TERMS. OF THESE REPEAT OFFENDERS, 63 PERCENT HAD SUCCESSFUL PAROLES; 27 PERCENT HAD PAROLE REVOKED; AND THE REST WERE DISCHARGED FROM THEIR SENTENCES, WERE GIVEN PARDONS, OR DIED. A SURVEY FOUND THE COST OF AN INMATE IN THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS IS $2,670 PER YEAR; THE COST OF A PAROLEE, $242 PER YEAR. HOWEVER, PAROLEES EARNED $78 MILLION IN 1976-1977, ADDING TO THE TAX BASE. EXTENSIVE TABULAR DATA ARE PROVIDED, INCLUDING STATISTICS ON THE ACTIVITY OF THE PAROLE BOARD, CASES CONSIDERED, CASES RECOMMENDED TO THE GOVERNOR, REPRIEVES, PREVIOUS CRIMINAL RECORDS OF PAROLEES, EDUCATION OF PAROLEES, AND PRESENT (1977) STATUS OF INMATES PAROLED FROM THE TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS. A MAP SHOWING THE DISTRIBUTION OF PAROLEES ASSIGNED TO COUNTIES WITHIN THE STATE IS PROVIDED. A GLOSSARY IS INCLUDED. (GLR)