THE CALIFORNIA PAROLE SYSTEM IS DIVIDED INTO FIVE REGIONS, EACH SUPERVISED BY A REGIONAL ADMINISTRATOR. REGIONS, IN TURN, ARE SUBDIVIDED INTO DISTRICTS COMPRISED OF 8 TO 10 PAROLE AGENTS AND ADMINISTERED BY A DISTRICT SUPERVISOR. PAROLE AGENTS UNDER CALIFORNIA PENAL CODE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CASE EVALUATION. CASE EVALUATION REPORTS ARE SUBMITTED TO DISTRICT SUPERVISORS WHO HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO SUBMIT SUPPLEMENTARY RECOMMENDATIONS OF THEIR OWN WHEN THEY DO NOT AGREE WITH A PAROLE AGENT'S RECOMMENDATIONS. IF A RECOMMENDATION FOR CONTINUANCE ON PAROLE IS MADE BY A PAROLE AGENT, AN ACTION TO THIS EFFECT WILL ALMOST INVARIABLY BE DECIDED UPON BY THE CALIFORNIA ADULT AUTHORITY. IF A PAROLE AGENT RECOMMENDS DISCHARGE, EACH HIGHER ADMINISTRATIVE LEVEL WITH THE EXCEPTION OF THE ADULT AUTHORITY IS SEEMINGLY MORE PRONE THAN THE LOWER LEVEL TO CHANGE A DISCHARGE RECOMMENDATION TO A CONTINUANCE RECOMMENDATION. HEARING REPRESENTATIVES CONVERT MANY MORE AGENT DISCHARGE RECOMMENDATIONS INTO CONTINUANCE RECOMMENDATIONS THAN ANY OTHER DECISIONMAKERS IN THE PAROLE BUREAUCRACY. PAROLE AGENTS DIFFER WIDELY IN THE TYPES OF INFORMATION THEY CHOOSE TO REPORT AND IN THE IMPACT OF THIS INFORMATION ON THEIR DECISIONS. DECISIONS ARE MADE ON AN INTUITIVE BASIS SO THAT DISCHARGE FROM PAROLE IS DEPENDENT ON CIRCUMSTANCES OF TIME AND PLACE RATHER THAN ON ANY SYSTEMATIC ASSESSMENT OF RELEVANT DATA, AS SHOWN IN PAROLE AGENT REPORTS ANALYZED ACROSS APPROXIMATELY 50 INFORMATION ITEMS AND RELATED TO THE PROBABILITY OF RECOMMENDATION FOR DISCHARGE. SUPPORTING DATA ARE INCLUDED. (DEP)