THE LORTON ART PROGRAM, INC., WHICH IS SUPPORTED PRIMARILY BY THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS AND PRIVATE FOUNDATIONS AND CORPORATIONS, IS A COMPREHENSIVE FINE ARTS PROGRAM WHICH USES ART EDUCATION AND INDIVIDUAL SKILLS DEVELOPMENT AS REHABILITATION MEANS. CLASSES ARE CONDUCTED FOR A MINIMUM OF TWO AND ONE-HALF HOURS PER SESSION FOUR DAYS A WEEK AT THE LORTON MINIMUM SECURITY FACILITY AND YOUTH CENTERS I AND II. THE EVALUATION AIMED AT DETERMINING THE PROGRAM'S IMPACT ON PARTICIPANT RECIDIVISM, STUDENT CHARACTERISTICS, STUDENT PROGRAM PERFORMANCE, INSTITUTIONAL STAFF OPINIONS OF THE PROGRAM, AND STUDENT ATTITUDES TOWARD THE PROGRAM. DATA WERE OBTAINED FROM THE ART DIRECTOR'S FILES AND HER EVALUATION OF EACH STUDENT'S PERFORMANCE, DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS RECORDS (INMATE CHARACTERISTICS, PAROLE VIOLATIONS, AND NEW CONVICTIONS), RESULTS OF AN INSTITUTIONAL STAFF SURVEY, AND PARTICIPANT QUESTIONNAIRES. THE STUDY POPULATION WAS 372 PARTIICPANTS FROM THE FIRST CLASSES. OF THE TOTAL SAMPLE, 252 HAD BEEN RELEASED, WITH 102 RELEASED THROUGH COMMUNITY CORRECTIONAL CENTERS AND 150 RELEASED TO PAROLE SUPERVISION. AT THE CONCLUSION OF THE STUDY, 201 (79.8 PERCENT) OF THE 252 WERE STILL IN THE COMMUNITY. A COMPARISON OF PROGRAM PARTICIPANTS AND NONPARTICIPANTS PROVIDED NO CONCLUSIVE EVIDENCE THAT PARTICIPATION IN THE ART PROGRAM REDUCED RECIDIVISM; THE EVALUATION OF TREATMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF WAS HIGHLY FAVORABLE. AN ANONYMOUS SURVEY OF PARTICIPANTS SHOWED LESS ENTHUSIASM BUT WAS GENERALLY FAVORABLE. THE PROGRAM HAS BEEN SUFFICIENTLY EFFECTIVE FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS TO CONSIDER ASSUMING ALL OF A MAJOR PORTION OF THE PROGRAM'S FUNDING. TABULAR DATA AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE PROVIDED.