DATA FOR THE STUDY WERE DERIVED FROM THREE INDEPENDENT NATIONAL SAMPLES CONDUCTED BY THE NATIONAL OPINION RESEARCH CENTER. THE TOTAL MERGED SAMPLE WAS 4, 487. IT WAS POSTULATED THAT ARRESTS MAY BE LINKED DIFFERENTIALLY TO VARIOUS SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC GROUPS. A TOTAL OF 432 OF THE SAMPLE REPORTED HAVING AN ARREST EPISODE. FINDINGS INDICATED A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF VARIATION ACROSS GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS. THE HIGHER THE DEGREES OF URBANIZATION, THE HIGHER THE PREVALENCE OF ARRESTS. IT WAS ALSO NOTED THAT HIGHER SELF-REPORTED ARRESTS WERE USUALLY IN THOSE GEOGRAPHIC REGIONS WHICH HAD HIGHER TOTAL CRIME INDIXES. THE EAST SOUTH CENTRAL REGION SHOWED THE LOWEST AMOUNT OF ARREST PREVALENCE WHILE THE PACIFIC REGION SHOWED THE HIGHEST. IT WAS ALSO FOUND THAT THE HIGHER PROBABILITY OF ARRESTS WAS MORE LIKELY TO BE ASSOCIATED WITH YOUNGER AGE, MALES AND BLACKS. THERE WAS NO SUPPORT FOR THE HYPOTHESIS OF THE HIGHER THE EDUCATION, THE LOWER THE PREVALENCE OF ARREST. RESULTS SUGGESTED THAT EXTRA-LEGAL FACTORS THAT DESERVE CLOSER CONSIDERATION FOR DEVIANCE RESEARCH ARE AGE AND SEX. REGIONAL VARIATIONS ALSO POINT TO A NEED FOR DIFFERENTIAL CONSIDERATIONS OF EXTRA-LEGAL FACTORS. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT ADDITIONAL RESEARCH IS NEEDED ON THE NATURE, FREQUENCY, AND EXTENT OF DEVIANT ACTS WHICH RESULT IN ARREST. REFERENCES ARE CITED. (MJW)