PRIOR TO COURT ACTIONS IN 1975, ALL IMMATES IN MISSISSIPPI WERE HOUSED AT THE MISSISSIPPI STATE PENITENTIARY AT PARCHMAN WHICH OPENED IN 1900. BECAUSE OF OVERCROWDING AND UNSANITARY CONDITIONS AT THE PENITENTIARY, A COURT ORDER WAS ISSUED PROVIDING FOR THE ELIMINATION OF SEVERAL OLD RESIDENTIAL CAMPS AND DETERMINING THE MAXIMUM NUMBER OF INMATES WHO COULD BE HOUSED AT THE REMAINING CAMPS. THE COURT ALSO REQUESTED A DETAILED ACTION PLAN FOR FURTHER REDUCING THE POPULATION AT PARCHMAN, SUBJECT TO MANDATORY COMPLETION BY JULY 1977. A SUPERVISED RELEASE PROGRAM WAS A MAJOR PART OF THE ACTION PLAN. THEREFORE, MOST DATA REFLECT CORRECTIONAL ACTIVITIES AT PARCHMAN; DATA FOR THE JACKSON COUNTY WORK RELEASE CENTER, ESTABLISHED IN 1975, WERE NOT AVAILABLE. IN 1972, THE AVERAGE DAILY INMATE POPULATION OF THE MISSISSIPPI STATE PENITENTIARY WAS 1,888.25; IN 1976, THIS FIGURE INCREASED TO 2,440.42 DESPITE REORGANIZATION ACTIVITIES. THE ONLY OTHER FACILITIES INVOLVED WERE MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS SUCH AS THE ELLISVILLE STATE HOSPITAL AND THE UNIVERSITY MEDICAL CENTER WHICH HOUSED ONLY 20 TO 30 INMATES THROUGHOUT THE PERIOD OF 1972 THROUGH 1976. MONTHLY ADMISSIONS TO THE PENITENTIARY AVERAGED 82.2 IN 1972 AND 114.8 IN 1976. RELEASE FIGURES REFLECT THE COURT ORDERED CORRECTIONAL CHANGES. IN 1972, RELEASES TOTALED 878 AND INCREASED TO 1,328 IN 1976. OF THE TOTAL 1976 RELEASES, 396 WERE DISCHARGED UPON EXPIRATION OF SENTENCE, 22 WERE RELEASED ON DEFINITE SUSPENSION, 882 WERE PAROLED, 24 ESCAPED, AND 4 DIED. THE MAJORITY OF INMATES COMMITTED IN 1972 WERE BETWEN THE AGES OF 19 AND 21 YEARS. APPROXIMATELY 4 PERCENT OF THE 1972 COMMITMENTS WERE FEMALE OFFENDERS. FOOTNOTES ARE PROVIDED.