RECIDIVISTS ARE DEFINED AS ALL PERSONS WHO, HAVING ONCE BEEN CONVICTED OF A CRIMINAL ACT, ARE CONVICTED FOR ONE OR MORE SUBSEQUENT OFFENCES COMMITTED WHILE ON PROBATION AND/OR DURING THE FIRST 3 YEARS FOLLOWING THE TERMINATION OF PROBATION. THE SALEM SAMPLE INCLUDED THOSE PERSONS PLACED ON PROBATION FROM SEPTEMBER 1, 1970, THROUGH AUGUST 31, 1975, WHOSE TERMS RESULTED FROM ASSAULT, HOMICIDE, RAPE, ROBBERY, ARMED ROBBERY, AND LARCENY OFFENSES. CRIMINAL HISTORIES WERE OBTAINED FROM THE STATE POLICE, AND EACH CASE WAS TRACED THROUGH APRIL 24, 1978. IN COMPARING THE STATISTICS FROM SALEM AND MORRIS COUNTIES, 40 PERCENT OF THE 65 MORRIS COUNTY PROBATIONERS RECIDIVATED COMPARED TO ONLY 16 PERCENT OF THE 38 SALEM PROBATIONERS. FURTHER, ALMOST HALF OF THE MORRIS COUNTY RECIDIVISTS WERE CONVICTED OF MULTIPLE SUBSEQUENT OFFENSES COMPARED TO ONLY 17 PERCENT OF SALEM RECIDIVISTS. FOR BOTH COUNTIES, THE VIOLENCE INDEX OF ALL RECIDIVISTS' SUBSEQUENT OFFENSES SHOWS THAT ABOUT TWO-THIRDS HAD COMMITTED NO NEW VIOLENT OFFENSES. MOST OF THE RECIDIVISTS COMMITTED THE FIRST OFFENSE EITHER DURING THE FIRST YEAR OF PROBATION OR THE FIRST YEAR AFTER PROBATION DISCHARGE. ANALYSIS SHOWED NO RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN RECIDIVISM AND PRIOR CRIMINAL HISTORY. A COMPARISON OF RECIDIVISM STATISTICS BETWEEN SALEM AND PASSAIC COUNTIES ALSO SHOWS THAT RECIDIVISTS ARE MOST LIKELY TO COMMIT THEIR FIRST OFFENSE DURING THE FIRST YEAR OF PROBATION OR THE FIRST YEAR AFTER PROBATION DISCHARGE. TABULAR DATA ARE PROVIDED. (RCB)