A SERIES OF MEETINGS, SYMPOSIA, AND COMMISSION STUDIES CULMINATED IN RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE COLORADO LEGISLATURE FOR DEVELOPMENT OF A STATEWIDE PROCESS OF RESTITUTION. IN 1976, LEGISLATION WAS PASSED ENABLING THE PAROLE BOARD TO IMPOSE RESTITUTION AS AN OBLIGATION OF PAROLE, ALLOWING COUNTIES TO CREATE AND ADMINISTER RESTITUTION PROGRAMS FOR OFFENDERS NOT COMMITTED TO STATE INSTITUTIONS, MANDATING A RESTITUTION CONTRACT FOR ANY PERSON RETAINED IN THE COMMUNITY ON A STATE-REIMBURSEMENT STATUS, AND CALLING FOR CREATION OF RESTITUTION PROGRAMS FOR OFFENDERS COMMITTED TO THE STATE DEPARTMENT OF INSTITUTIONS. THE COLORADO CRIME VICTIMS RESTITUTION PROGRAM WAS DEVELOPED TO IMPLEMENT THE LEGISLATION. THE PROGRAM HAD THREE OBJECTIVES: TO PROVIDE AN EFFECTIVE, COST-EFFICIENT RESTITUTION PROCESS; TO FACILITATE REHABILITATION; AND TO DETERMINE WHAT ASPECTS OF THE PROGRAM ARE REPLICABLE IN OTHER JURISDICTIONS. THERE WERE PLANS TO INCLUDE BOTH RURAL AND URBAN EXPERIMENTS IN RESTITUTION AND TO TEST BOTH MONETARY REIMBURSEMENT AND SERVICE PROVISION (DIRECTLY TO THE VICTIM, OR TO A WORTHY SOCIAL AGENCY) AS MECHANISMS OF RESTITUTION. INMATES AT THE COLORADO STATE PENITENTIARY WERE TO PARTICIPATE IN EXPERIMENTS WITH VARIOUS RESTITUTION CONTRACTING METHODS. APPROACHES TO HELPING EX-OFFENDERS FIND EMPLOYMENT IN ORDER TO MEET RESTITUTION OBLIGATIONS WERE ALSO TO BE TESTED. THE PROGRAM WAS TO BE IMPLEMENTED IN NOVEMBER 1976, WITH A FINAL EVALUATION REPORT SLATED FOR OCTOBER 1978. (LKM)