THE TOTAL NUMBER OF TRD'S MADE, AS WELL AS THE NUMBERS AND PERCENTAGES OF DEPARTURES, ARE GIVEN. DATA ARE REPORTED FOR EACH INSTITUTION, AND COMPARISONS ARE MADE BETWEEN THE TRD'S OF THE TWO TIME PERIODS PREVIOUSLY STUDIED. DESCRIPTIVE INFORMATION ON THE NUMBER OF DECISIONS AND ON THE AVERAGE TIME ASSIGNED FOR EACH MATRIX CELL IS PRESENTED. DEPARTURES ARE ANALYZED FURTHER ACCORDING TO THE CELL OF THE MATRIX TO ASCERTAIN WHETHER DEPARTURES IN GENERAL AND CERTAIN TYPES OF DEPARTURE IN PARTICULAR ARE MORE COMMON AT CERTAIN LEVELS OF SEVERITY AND OR RISK. THIS TYPE OF INFORMATION IS SEEN AS USEFUL IN GUIDELINE REVISIONS AND IN HELPING MCB MEMBERS DECIDE WHETHER THEIR DEPARTURE DECISIONS ARE APPROPRIATE. CASES OF LIMITED SENTENCES WHICH APPEAR TO AFFECT MCB DEPARTURES ARE ALSO DISCUSSED. THE ACTUAL REASONS FOR DISCRETIONARY DEPARTURES ARE THEN REPORTED WITH REASONS LISTED BY EACH INSTITUTION AND FOR EACH MATRIX CELL. THE NUMBER OF MONTHS OF AGGRAVATION OR MITIGATION IS INCLUDED WITH THE REASONS, AS ARE CODE NUMBER FOR THE MCB MEMBERS PARTICIPATING IN THE DECISIONS, TO PROVIDE A BASIS FOR DISCUSSIONS OF DEPARTURES AMONG MCB MEMBERS. THE AVERAGE MONTHS ASSIGNED WHICH REMAIN CLOSE TO MATRIX GUIDELINES AND MODERATE DEPARTURE RATE OF 22 PERCENT INDICATE THAT MCB DECISIONMAKING IS HIGHLY STRUCTURED BY CURRENT GUIDELINES, ALTHOUGH DECISIONMAKERS STILL TREATS EACH CASE ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS. MANDATORY DEPARTURES ACCOUNTED FOR 36 PERCENT OF ALL DEPARTURES AND WERE PREDOMINANTLY CASES OF LIMITED RATHER THAN MANDATORY MINIMUM SENTENCES. DISCRETIONARY DEPARTURES ACCOUNTED FOR 64 PERCENT OF ALL DEPARTURES, AND CONSTITUTED 15 PERCENT OF ALL TRD DECISIONS IN WHICH DISCRETION CAN BE EXERCISED. COMPARISON TO THE PREVIOUS TIME PERIODS SUGGEST THAT BOTH MANDATORY AND DISCRETIONARY RATES HAVE DECLINED. REASONS FOR DISCRETIONARY DEPARTURES ARE LISTED, AND APPENDIXES CONTAIN CASES OF ESCAPE REVIEWED DURING THE YEAR AND AND CASES OF MANDATORY MINIMUM SENTENCE WITH TRDS ASSIGNED AT ANNUAL REVIEWS DURING 1977. EXTENSIVE TABULAR DATA ACCOMPANY THE REPORT. (MJW)