THIS STUDY TESTED THE HYPOTHESIS THAT SEVERAL FACTORS COULD BE ISOLATED WHICH WOULD PREDICT THE TYPE OF PAROLE VIOLATION MOST LIKELY TO BE COMMITTED -- A TECHNICAL INFRACTION OF THE PAROLE REGULATIONS OR A CRIMINAL ACT WHICH AFFECTS THE COMMUNITY. BETWEEN SEPTEMBER 1957 AND APRIL 1958 A TOTAL OF 50 MEN FITTING EACH PAROLE CATEGORY WERE SELECTED FROM THOSE RETURNED TO THE OHIO PENITENTIARY AT COLUMBUS, A MAXIMUM SECURITY CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION. THE 2 TYPES WERE COMPARED FOR 44 SOCIAL BACKGROUND ITEMS, MOST OF WHICH WERE SIGNIFICANT FACTORS SCANNED FROM 6 MAJOR PAROLE OUTCOME STUDIES. ASSOCIATION TABLES AND CHI SQUARE TESTS WERE USED TO MEASURE SIGNIFICANCE. TECHNICAL VIOLATORS HAD 13 CHARACTERISTICS WHICH WERE SIGNIFICANT AT THE .05 LEVEL, INCLUDING: (1) BETTER WORK RECORD AT TIME OF ORIGINAL ARREST, (2) LESS PREVIOUS TIME SERVED IN PENAL INSTITUTIONS, (3) CHARGED WITH PERSONAL OFFENSES, (4) WORKED MORE STEADILY DURING PAROLE, (5) LOWER INTELLIGENCE TEST SCORES, (6) SERVED A LONGER TIME IN PRISON FOR THE CURRENT OFFENSE, (7) LESS A HABITUAL OFFENDER AND USUALLY A FIRST OFFENDER, (8) GOOD CONDUCT RECORD IN THE PENITENTIARY, (9) LASTED LONGER ON PAROLE, (10) HAD SMALLER PREVIOUS INCARCERATION RECORDS, (11) ORIGINATED IN STATES OUTSIDE OF THE OHIO AND MIDWESTERN AREA, (12) WERE BROUGHT UP IN AREAS OTHER THAN WORKING CLASS AREAS OF CITIES, AND (13) HAD BEEN REARED BY PERSONS OTHER THAN THE NATURAL PARENTS. A SELF-CONCEPT QUESTIONNAIRE FOUND THAT THE MORE NAIVE, FRANK, AND LESS SOPHISTICATED RESPONDENTS WERE LIKELY TO BE TECHNICAL VIOLATORS WHILE MORE CAUTIOUS AND SOPHISTICATED RESPONDENTS WERE LIKELY TO BE CRIMINAL VIOLATORS. SURVEY DATA ARE PRESENTED IN NARRATIVE AND TABULAR FORM. APPENDIXES PROVIDE THE FACTORS ISOLATED IN SIX MAJOR STUDIES, A SAMPLE OF THE DATA COLLECTION INSTRUMENT, STATISTICAL DATA FROM THE STUDY, AND BIBLIOGRAPHY. (GLR)