CRIME CLASSIFICATIONS ARE MURDER, NON-NEGLIGENT MANSLAUGHTER, FORCIBLE RAPE, ROBBERY, ATROCIOUS ASSAULT, BREAKING AND ENTERING, LARCENY, AND AUTOMOBILE THEFT. DATA COVER ONLY THE EXTENT AND NATURE OF INDEX CRIME REPORTING. FEATURES OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM BEYOND INITIAL REPORTING, SUCH AS CLEARANCES BY ARREST, SUBSEQUENT PROSECUTIONS, AND FINAL CASE DISPOSITIONS, ARE NOT EXAMINED. IN ADDITION TO DATA ON INDEX CRIMES FOR 1977, CRIME RATES ARE PROJECTED THROUGH 1980 USING LINEAR MODELS. THE ANALYSIS OF DATA INDICATES THAT THE NUMBER OF INDEX CRIMES IN RHODE ISLAND DECREASED IN 1977 BY 3.9 PERCENT OVER 1976. CRIMINAL HOMICIDES INCREASED SLIGHTLY BUT REMAINED AT AN UNUSUALLY HIGH LEVEL GIVEN THE POPULATION OF RHODE ISLAND. AN INCREASE IN 1976 OF ALMOST 97 PERCENT OVER 1975 GAVE THE STATE A HOMICIDE RATE OVER TWICE THAT OF THE OTHER REGIONAL STATES. REPORTED FORCIBLE RAPES RETURNED TO A LEVEL EQUIVALENT TO THE PEAK YEAR OF 1975, WITH AN INCREASE OF ABOUT 31 PERCENT OVER 1976. ROBBERY CRIMES REMAINED RELATIVELY STABLE, WITH ONLY A SLIGHT DECREASE FROM THE 1976 LEVEL. ATROCIOUS ASSAULT INCIDENTS INCREASED BY ONLY 1.3 PERCENT FROM 1974 TO 1977. THE INCIDENCE OF REPORTED BREAKING AND ENTERING CASES INCREASED BY 5.2 PERCENT FROM 1976 TO 1977. REPORTED LARCENIES INCREASED FROM 1972 THROUGH 1976, BUT LARCENIES DECREASED BY 6.7 PERCENT IN 1977. AUTOMOBILE THEFT DECREAED IN 1977 AND WAS ALMOST 22 PERCENT BELOW THE 1971 LEVEL. SUPPORTING DATA AND ILLUSTRATIONS ARE PROVIDED. (DEP)