THE EXTENSIVE USE OF PARAPROFESSIONALS IN PROBATION AND PRISON PROGRAMS IS ADVOCATED AS A MEANS OF STIMULATING HELPING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN OFFENDERS AND PARAPROFESSIONALS (OFTEN EX-OFFENDERS)WHO COME FROM SIMILAR BACKGROUNDS.REHABILITATION EFFORTS ARE EFFECTIVELY EXTENDED AT A LOWER COST THAN WOULD OTHERWISE BE REQUIRED.ALTHOUGH THE RETENTION OF PARAPROFESSIONALS WAS A PROBLEM IN THE PAST, THIS HAS BEEN RESOLVED TO SOME DEGREE BY PROVIDING A STRUCTURE FOR ECONOMIC AND VOCATIONAL PROGRESS WITHIN A PARAPROFESSIONAL CAREER STRUCTURE. A PROBLEM FORESEEN IN THIS UPGRADING OF PARAPROFESSIONALS, PARTICULARLY MINORITY PERSONNEL, TO CAREER STATUS IS THE POSSIBLE EVOLVING ALIENATION BETWEEN THE PARAPROFESSIONAL WHO HAS JOINED THE SYSTEM AND THE INMATE OF SIMILAR BACKGROUND WHO HARBORS HOSTILITY AND DISILLUSIONMENT ABOUT ANY REPRESENTATIVE OF THE SYSTEM. TO REMEDY THIS PROBLEM,IT IS SUGGESTED THAT RECENT EXOFFENDERS WITH SUCCESSFUL REENTRY FOR AS BRIEFLY AS ONE YEAR BE EMPLOYED FOR TEMPORARY PARAPROFESSIONAL WORK TO HELP WITH INMATES NOT INCLINED TO ACCEPT A RELATIONSHIP WITH CAREER PARAPROFESSIONALS. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED.