THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS REPORT WAS ROUTINELY COLLECTED FROM ADULT INSTITUTIONAL RECORD OFFICES AND SOCIAL SERVICE STAFFS. CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS OF RELEASE INCLUDE THE WISCONSIN STATE PRISON, THE WISCONSIN STATE REFORMATORY, AND THE KETTLE MORAINE CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTION. ADULT MALE FIRST RELEASES IN 1978 TOTALED 1,178, REPRESENTING THE FIRST DROP SINCE 1974. MEDIAN LENGTH OF STAY VARIED SLIGHTLY, RANGING FROM 17.8 MONTHS IN 1975 TO 19.3 MONTHS IN 1978. THE PROPORTION OF MALE FIRST RELEASES WITH REGULAR FELONY COMMITMENTS REMAINED FAIRLY STEADY, GOING FROM 97.3 PERCENT IN 1974 TO 98.6 PERCENT IN 1978. THE NUMBER OF ADULT FEMALE FIRST RELEASES ROSE FROM 55 IN 1974 TO 80 IN 1977, THEN DROPPED TO 70 IN 1978. MEDIAN LENGTH OF STAY INCREASED GRADUALLY FROM 1974 TO 1977, RANGING FROM 9.7 MONTHS IN 1974 TO 14.7 MONTHS IN 1977; IT THEN DROPPED TO 13.8 MONTHS IN 1978. OF SPECIAL INTEREST IS THE FACT THAT NEARLY 46 PERCENT OF THE 1978 FIRST RELEASES PARTICIPATED IN GROUP COUNSELING AND NEARLY 66 PERCENT HAD SATISFACTORY WORK RECORDS; THESE PERCENTAGES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN IN THE PREVIOUS FOUR YEARS. THE DATA SHOW THAT THE PERCENTAGE OF MALE RERELEASES DECLINED EACH YEAR EDGING UP TO 17.4 PERCENT IN 1977, THEN DROPPED AGAIN TO 15.8 PERCENT IN 1978. THE PROPORTION OF RERELEASED FEMALES AMONG TOTAL FEMALES RELEASED RANGED FROM A HIGH OF 9.8 PERCENT IN 1974 TO A LOW OF 2.8 PERCENT IN 1978. THE TOTAL NUMBER OF FEMALES RELEASED ANNUALLY ROSE FROM 61 IN 1974 TO 84 IN 1977 BEFORE DROPPING TO 72 IN 1978. STATISTICAL TABULAR DATA COMPRISES THE BULK OF THE REPORT. (LWM)