MISSISSIPPI'S OFFENDER POPULATION IS 9,779, BUT ITS COMMUNITY SERVICES AND INSTITUTIONAL OPERATING BUDGETS ARE COMPARABLE TO THOSE OF ARKANSAS, WHICH HAS THE SMALLEST OFFENDER POPULATION (5,318) OF THOSE SURVEYED. MISSISSIPPI'S TOTAL BUDGET PER OFFENDER SURPASSES ONLY THAT OF SOUTH CAROLINA. PERSONNEL COSTS CONSTITUTE A MAJOR PORTION OF MOST BUDGETS. MISSISSIPPI'S INMATE/OFFICER RATIO IS 6.6 TO 1, COMPARED TO LOUISIANA'S 3.1 TO 1. DESPITE AN UNFAVORABLE INMATE/STAFF RATIO, MISSISSIPPI'S ESCAPE RATE IS LOWER THAN AVERAGE. IT IS SIGNIFICANT THAT THE DATA ON RECIDIVISM RATES ARE VERY CONSISTENT. THIS SHOWS THAT THE STATES ARE MOVING TOWARD A UNIFORM METHOD OF DERIVING RECIDIVISM RATES: TRACKING A SPECIFIC RELEASE POPULATION OVER A SPECIFIC TIME PERIOD AND REPORTING THE PERCENTAGE OF RECIDIVISM FOR EACH STATE'S PRISON SYSTEM WITHIN SPECIFIC TIME INCREMENTS. APPROXIMATELY 2 PERCENT OF RELEASED OFFENDERS RETURN TO MISSISSIPPI'S PRISON SYSTEM EACH SUCCESSIVE QUARTER AFTER RELEASE, AND THUS ABOUT 22 TO 24 PERCENT WILL HAVE RECIDIVATED WITHIN 3 YEARS OF RELEASE. THIS IS CONSISTENT WITH THE RECIDIVISM RATES REPORTED BY ARKANSAS, LOUISIANA, AND SOUTH CAROLINA. EXTENSIVE TABULAR DATA FOR EACH STATE ARE INCLUDED. (ELP)