THE STUDY IS BASED ON 7,614 WISCONSIN CASES STATISTICALLY COMPARABLE IN ORIGINAL DISPOSITION, COUNTY OF COMMITMENT, TYPE OF OFFENSE COMMITTED, NUMBER OF PRIOR FELONIES, AND MARITAL STATUS. OF THE FIRST FELONY OFFENDERS, THOSE ON PROBATION HAD LOWER VIOLATION RATES THAN THOSE IMPRISONED AND THEN PAROLED. FOR PROBATIONERS AND PAROLEES WITH ONE PRIOR FELONY, RATES WERE ABOUT THE SAME. FOR THOSE WITH TWO OR MORE PRIOR FELONIES, VIOLATION RATES WERE HIGHER FOR PROBATIONERS THAN FOR PAROLEES. THE FREQUENCY WITH WHICH JUDGES SENTENCED OFFENDERS TO PROBATION RATHER THAN INCARCERATION VARIED DIRECTLY WITH THE EXTENT TO WHICH THE OFFENDERS WERE DEEMED LIKELY TO VIOLATE PROBATION; THUS, JUDGES TENDED TO PLACE THOSE OFFENDERS WITH THE LOW VIOLATION RATES ON PROBATION, WITH THE MAJOR EXCEPTION BEING ASSAULT CASES, WHERE IMPRISONMENT WAS MORE FREQUENTLY USED. DATA FROM THE STUDY IS INCLUDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--RCB)