A RECIDIVIST WAS DEFINED AS ANY SUBJECT RETURNED TO A FEDERAL OR STATE CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION OR TO A COUNTY HOUSE OF CORRECTION OR JAIL FOR 30 DAYS OR MORE. VARIABLES IN THE ANALYSIS OF RECIDIVISM RATES WERE COMMITMENT, PERSONAL BACKGROUND, CRIMINAL HISTORY, FURLOUGH, AND RECIDIVISM. DATA WERE DERIVED PRIMARILY FROM THE COMPUTERIZED DATA BASE OF THE CORRECTION AND PAROLE MANAGEMENT INFORMATION SYSTEM. ADDITIONAL DATA WERE OBTAINED FROM FILES OF THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION, THE PAROLE BOARD, AND THE BOARD OF PROBATION. A TOTAL OF 806 INDIVIDUALS WERE RELEASED FROM STATE CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS TO THE COMMUNITY DURING 1975. OF THESE, 645 OR 80 PERCENT DID NOT RETURN TO A CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION WITHIN 1 YEAR OF THEIR RELEASE; 161 OR 20 PERCENT WERE REINCARCERATED WITHIN THE SPECIFIED AMOUNT OF TIME. RECIDIVISM RATES FOR INDIVIDUAL INSTITUTIONS EXHIBITED CONSIDERABLE VARIATION, RANGING FROM A HIGH OF 27 PERCENT TO A LOW OF 12 PERCENT. COMPARATIVE RECIDIVISM RATES FOR 1966-1975 DEMONSTRATED A DECLINE FROM 30 PERCENT TO 20 PERCENT. OF THE 161 RECIDIVISTS IN THE 1975 SAMPLE, 20 OR 12 PERCENT WERE REINCARCERATED DUE TO A TECHNICAL INFRACTION OF THEIR PAROLE CONDITIONS. EIGHTY-FOUR OR 52 PERCENT WERE RETURNED TO PRISON BECAUSE OF A NEW ARREST ASSOCIATED WITH THEIR PAROLE VIOLATIONS. FIFTY-SEVEN OR 35 PERCENT WERE REINCARCERATED FOR A NEW CONVICTION. THREE TRENDS WERE NOTED WHEN COMPARING DATA FOR THE YEARS BETWEEN 1970 AND 1975: (1) A LOWER PROPORTION OF RETURNS FOR TECHNICAL INFRACTIONS OF PAROLE CONDITIONS; (2) A HIGHER PROPORTION OF RETURNS FOR A NEW ARREST IN ASSOCIATION WITH PAROLE VIOLATIONS; AND (3) A HIGHER PROPORTION OF RETURNS FOR A NEW COURT SENTENCE. INDIVIDUALS RELEASED ON PAROLE HAD HIGHER RECIDIVISM RATES THAN INDIVIDUALS RELEASED ON DISCHARGE. OF THE TOTAL NUMBER OF RELEASEES 38 PERCENT DID NOT RECEIVE A FURLOUGH WHILE INCARCERATED, AND THE RECIDIVISM RATE FOR THESE PERSONS WAS 30 PERCENT. SUPPORTING DATA AND A LIST OF FOOTNOTES ARE INCLUDED. VARIABLES EMPLOYED IN THE COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS ARE OUTLINED IN AN APPENDIX. (DEP)