THE RESEARCH FOCUSED ON INMATES AT THE STATE CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION OF IDAHO DURING JANUARY 1976, WHO HAD BEEN INSTITUTIONALIZED PRIOR TO THEIR CURRENT PRISON SENTENCE. FOR STUDY PURPOSES INMATES IN THE SAMPLE WERE GROUPED INTO THREE CATEGORIES: (1) THOSE PLACED ON PAROLE PRIOR TO CURRENT INCARCERATION (146); (2) THOSE PLACED ON PROBATION (120 DAY RETAINED JURISDICTION) PRIOR TO CURRENT INCARCERATION (33); AND (3) THOSE DISCHARGED FROM PRIOR SENTENCE UNTIL CURRENT INCARCERATION (37). EACH CATEGORY WAS FURTHER DIVIDED INTO TWO GROUPS: INMATES WHO HAD SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED PAROLE OR PROBATION AND THOSE WHO HAD FAILED. SUCCESSES PREVIOUSLY PLACED ON PAROLE TOTALED 65. FOR THESE, TWO MEASURABLE TIME FRAMES ARE INDICATED: PRISON PAROLE RELEASE TO ARREST LEADING TO CURRENT INCARCERATION; AND PAROLE DISCHARGE TO ARREST LEADING TO CURRENT INCARCERATION. THE MEDIAN TIME FOR THE FORMER WAS 3 YEARS, 1 MONTH, AND 13 DAYS, AND THE LATTER, 1 YEAR, 3 MONTHS, AND 17 DAYS. OF THE 65 PAROLE SUCCESSES, 46 HAD NO VIOLATIONS DURING THEIR PAROLE PERIOD. THERE WERE 81 PAROLE FAILURES, WITH A MEDIAN OF 8 MONTHS, 7 DAYS FROM PLACEMENT TO ARREST LEADING TO CURRENT INCARCERATION. PROBATION PLACEMENTS TOTALED 33, AND THE MEDIAN TIME FOR SUCCESSES FROM PLACEMENT UNTIL ARREST LEADING TO CURRENT INCARCERATION WAS 1 YEAR, 10 MONTHS, AND 27 DAYS, WHILE THE MEDIAN TIME FOR FAILURES WAS 6 MONTHS, AND 9 DAYS. SUBJECTS DISCHARGED FROM PRIOR INCARCERATIONS HAD A MEDIAN OF 2 YEARS, 5 MONTHS, AND 10 DAYS FROM DISCHARGE UNTIL ARREST LEADING TO CURRENT IMPRISONMENT. A COMPOSITE OF COLLATERAL INFORMATION GATHERED SHOWS THAT 60 PERCENT OF THE SUBJECTS HAD 1 PRIOR ADULT INCARCERATION, WHILE 88 (41 PERCENT) HAD PREVIOUS JUVENILE INSTITUTIONAL RECORDS. OF THE 216 INMATES SURVEYED, 132 (61 PERCENT) WERE SERVING CURRENT TERMS FOR UNIFORM CRIME REPORTS PART I OFFENSES, AND 58 WERE SERVING SENTENCES FOR BURGLARY OFFENSES. OVER 50 PERCENT OF THE SUBJECTS HAD BEEN PREVIOUSLY CONVICTED OF PART I OFFENSES. SUPPORTING DATA ARE TABULATED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED -- RCB)