ALL OF THE MEN HAD BEEN RELEASED FROM MEDIUM SECURITY INSTITUTIONS. THE 62 CONSIDERED PAROLE SUCCESSES HAD REMAINED FREE IN THE COMMUNITY FOR AT LEAST 1 YEAR. THE 30 FAILURES HAD BEEN RETURNED TO AN INSTITUTION (OTHER THAN A JAIL) WITHIN THE FIRST YEAR OF PAROLE. NONE KNEW THE PURPOSE OF THE STUDY WHEN INTERVIEWED. THE QUESTIONS ASKED OF THE INMATES ARE PROVIDED. GENERALLY THE OPEN-ENDED INTERVIEW ASKED ABOUT THE MOST HELPFUL, THE MOST HARMFUL, AND THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENTS OF BOTH THE INSTITUTIONAL AND PAROLE PERIOD. FOLLOWUP QUESTIONS WERE ASKED TO DETERMINE ATTITUDES TOWARD BOTH THE INSTITUTIONS AND THE PAROLE PERIOD. BOTH GROUPS CITED COUNSELING, THE DEVELOPMENT OF SOCIAL SKILLS, AND VOCATIONAL, AND ACADEMIC TRAINING AS MOST HELPFUL. ONLY 3 OF THE 92 CITED OTHER INMATES AS BEING HELPFUL, WHILE 38 ACKNOWLEDGED THE HELP OF STAFF MEMBERS, ONLY 7 CITED COMMUNITY MEMBERS AS BEING HELPFUL. THE ABANDONMENT OF A COMMUNITY-BASED ROLE IS A MATTER OF REAL CONCERN TO THE OFFENDER AS INDICATED BY RESPONSES ABOUT HARMFUL EVENTS. ALIENATION FROM THE COMMUNITY, CONFLICT WITH STAFF, AND CONFLICT WITH OTHER INMATES (BOTH PHYSICAL AND SOCIAL) WERE SEEN AS THE MOST HARMFUL EVENTS. THERE WAS SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE FACTOR IDENTIFIED BY SUCCESSFUL AND UNSUCCESSFUL PAROLEES. PAROLE SUCCESSES WERE MORE LIKELY TO EMPHASIZE ASSISTANCE RECEIVED FROM OTHERS, BOTH COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND PAROLE OFFICERS. PAROLE FAILURES GAVE GREATER EMPHASIS TO JOBS OR JOB TRAINING. PAROLE SUCCESSES WERE MORE LIKELY TO REPORT NO PROBLEMS OR TO CITE PERSONAL PROBLEMS WHILE PAROLE FAILURES CALLED CRIMINAL ACTIVITY THE MOST HARMFUL THING THAT HAPPENED. NEITHER CITED ANY PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH PAROLE ITSELF. ONLY ONE TOLD OF HARASSMENT BY LEGAL AUTHORITIES AND NINE TOLD OF DIFFICULTIES IN COMPLYING WITH PAROLE OBLIGATIONS. BOTH GROUPS VIEWED THEIR PREVIOUS INCARCERATION WITH DETACHMENT. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE REAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SUCCESS AND FAILURE IS COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND THAT PAROLE OFFICERS SHOULD WORK MORE WITH THE OFFENDERS' COMMUNITY TO STRENGTHEN OR DEVELOP POSITIVE-SOCIAL INFLUENCES. (GLR)