THE CCPP IS A DIRECT OUTGROWTH OF THE NATIONAL CAREER CRIMINAL PROGRAM INITIATIVE ESTABLISHED BY LEAA IN 1974. TARGETED PROSECUTION, THE ESSENCE OF THE PROGRAM, IS NOT A NEW CONCEPT. HOWEVER, THE CONCENTRATION ON REPEAT OR HABITUAL OFFENDERS IS NEW AND IS BASED ON RESEARCH WHICH INDICATES THAT A SMALL NUMBER OF CRIMINALS ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY RESPONSIBLE FOR MUCH OF THE REPORTED CRIME. THE CCPP UNITS' MANDATE IS TO IDENTIFY AND VIGOROUSLY PROSECUTE SERIOUS REPEAT OFFENDERS. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SOURCE MATERIAL WERE REVIEWED, INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED, AND A BASELINE DATA FILE FOR ALL DEFENDANTS ARRESTED FOR THE CRIMINAL TARGET CRIMES OVER A 3 YEAR PERIOD WAS DESIGNED. DATA WERE ANALYZED TO IDENTIFY DEFENDANTS MEETING THE SELECTION CRITERIA FOR THE STUDY; 408 WERE FINALLY CHOSEN. IN ADDITION, EACH COUNTY'S CAREER CRIMINAL UNIT WAS OBSERVED. INTERVIEWS WERE CONDUCTED WITH UNIT PERSONNEL, AND THE UNIT'S APPLICATION OF THE SELECTION CRITERIA IN ITS REVIEW OF CASES WAS STUDIED. A COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS OF THE CCPP WAS UNDERTAKEN. RESULTS POINT TO INCREASED CONVICTION RATES, DECREASED POSTINDICTMENT DISMISSAL RATES, INCREASED INCARCERATION RATES, AND INCREASED SENTENCE LENGTH. IN ADDITION, HIGH UNIT MORALE AND CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM ENTHUSIASM FOR THE PROGRAM WAS APPARENT AS WELL AS EVIDENCE OF GOOD VICTIM/WITNESS COOPERATION. HOWEVER, NO IMPROVEMENT WAS FOUND IN CASE PROCESSING TIME AS COMPARED TO ROUTINE PROCESSING. MOREOVER, CAREER CRIMINAL PROCESSING IS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN ROUTINE CASE PROCESSING. RECOMMENDATIONS INCLUDE THE DEVELOPMENT OF A RATIONAL SELECTION CRITERIA, AND EARLY IDENTIFICATION AND VERTICAL PROSECUTION OF TARGETED DEFENDANTS. IN ADDITION TO STATISTICAL DATA, A COMPARISON TABLE OF CCPP UNITS' AND GENERAL PROSECUTORS' FUNCTIONS IS APPENDED.