IN THE CONCEPTUALIZATION OF SENTENCING AND PAROLE BOARD DECISIONS, CONSIDERABLE EMPHASIS IS PLACED ON THE INTERVAL MEASURE OF TIME AS THE MOST APPROPRIATE OPERATIONALIZATION OF THE DEPENDENT VARIABLES. THIS STUDY DIRECTED ATTENTION TO AN EXAMINATION OF AN ALTERNATE CONCEPTUALIZATION OF THE SENTENCING AND PAROLE BOARD DECISIONS. TO THIS END BOTH THE DECISION OF THE TRIAL COURT IN SENTENCING AND THE DECISION OF THE PAROLE BOARD IN RELEASE CONSIDERATIONS ARE CONCEPTUALIZED AS NONINTERVAL, CATEGORICAL CHOICES. IN SENTENCING, THE SIMPLE CATEGORICAL DISTINCTION BETWEEN IMPRISONMENT AND PROBATION HAS PARTICULAR SIGNIFICANCE AND MAY DISTINGUISH SEVERITY FROM LENIENCY FOR THE CONVICTED FELON OR FOR SOCIETY. IN PRISON, DISTINCTIONS BETWEEN PAROLE AND DENIAL HAVE CONSIDERABLE EFFECT ON PRISON ATMOSPHERE, POPULATION, AND DISCIPLINE. THUS THESE CATEGORICAL TERMS CAN BE SHOWN TO HAVE A REAL AND A SYMBOLIC IMPACT ON THE JUSTICE SYSTEM. DATA WERE OBTAINED FROM AN INVESTIGATION OF SENTENCING AND PAROLE IN CONNECTICUT IN 1975; DISCRIMINANT ANALYSIS WAS USED AS THE MULTIVARIATE MODEL FOR THE 19 INDEPENDENT VARIABLES USED IN THE SENTENCING ANALYSIS AND FOR THE 21 IN THE PAROLE INVESTIGATION. THE ANALYSIS DEMONSTRATES THAT, WHILE THE INTERVAL TIME MEASURE ULTIMATELY MAY BE THE MORE IMPORTANT CONCEPTUALIZATION OF BOTH SENTENCING AND PAROLE DECISIONS, LESS REFINED GROUP DIFFERENTIATIONS ARE SIGNIFICANT. GIVEN THE WIDE DISCRETION CHARACTERISTIC OF DECISION PROCESSES IN CRIMINAL JUSTICE, IT SEEMS IMPERATIVE AT LEAST TO EXPLORE THE FUNDAMENTAL OPTIONS OPEN IN THE TREATMENT OF CONVICTED AND INCARCERATED FELONS; LIKEWISE, CRIMINAL JUSTICE RESEARCHERS SHOULD APPLY ALTERNATE MODELS AND COMPARE RESULTS. IN POLICY TERMS, FUNDAMENTAL DECISION OPTIONS ARE CRITICAL, AS THEY MAY ILLUSTRATE THE SEVERITY OF SANCTION PENALTIES, THE JUSTICE OF SANCTION APPLICATION, AND THE GENERAL EFFICACY OF CRIMINAL LAW; THE BASIC CATEGORICAL DISTINCTION SPELLS THE IMMEDIATE DISPOSITION OF A CASE IN THE JUSTICE SYSTEM AND THE TYPE OF SANCTION APPLIED. FINALLY, FROM A RESEARCH PERSPECTIVE, THE CONCEPTUALIZATION OF THE DEPENDENT VARIABLE IN SENTENCING AND PAROLE AND THE CORRESPONDING SELECTION OF A MULTIVARIATE MODEL HINGE ON THE PURPOSE, NATURE, AND THE UNDERLYING THEORY OF AN INVESTIGATION. TABLES AND EQUATIONS ILLUSTRATE THE STUDY MODEL. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (MHP)