A SAMPLE OF 25 INMATES WAS RANDOMLY SELECTED TO SERVE AS SUBJECTS; THEY WERE CHOSEN FROM 95 INMATES WHO HAD SENTENCES OF 1-5 YEARS AND WHO WERE AUTHORIZED FOR PAROLE FROM JANUARY 1975 THROUGH OCTOBER 1975. THE DATA FOR THE STUDY WAS OBTAINED FROM THE MINUTES OF THE INDIANA PAROLE BOARD AND FROM THE CENTRAL OFFICE PACKETS OF THE SUBJECTS. THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION WAS COLLECTED: THE INMATE'S FILE NUMBER, THE INMATE'S MONTH AND YEAR OF ADMISSION INTO THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION, THE MONTH AND YEAR THE INMATE WAS AUTHORIZED FOR PAROLE, THE INMATE'S ETHNIC GROUP, AND THE MOST SERIOUS COMMITING OFFENSE OF THE INMATE. INFORMATION WAS ANALYZED TO DETERMINE THE AVERAGE LENGTH OF INSTITUTIONAL TIME SERVED IN THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION BY INMATES AUTHORIZED FOR PAROLE FROM THE REFORMATORY WHO HAD A SENTENCE LENGTH OF 1-5 YEARS (1 YEAR AND 7.8 MONTHS), THE RANGE OF TIME SERVED BY ALL SUBJECTS (4 MONTHS TO 3 YEARS AND 8 MONTHS), AND THE ETHNIC BREAKDOWN OF SUBJECTS (72 PERCENT WHITE, 28 PERCENT BLACK). ALSO DETERMINED WERE THE AVERAGE LENGTH OF TIME SERVED BY WHITE INMATES (1 YEAR AND 6.8 MONTHS), THE RANGE OF TIME SERVED BY WHITE INMATES (4 MONTHS TO 3 YEARS AND 8 MONTHS), THE AVERAGE LENGTH OF TIME SERVED BY BLACK INMATES (1 YEAR AND 10.6 MONTHS), AND THE RANGE OF TIME SERVED BY BLACK INMATES (11 MONTHS TO 2 YEARS AND 8 MONTHS). AN APPENDIX LISTS THE DATA COLLECTED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)