THE SAMPLE POPULATION WAS DIVIDED ACCORDING TO VETERAN OR NON-VETERAN STATUS AND AGE: 23 YEARS OR LESS (THE POST-VIETNAM VETERANS), 24 TO 35 YEARS OLD (THE VIETNAM GENERATION), AND 36 YEARS OR MORE (THE PRE-VIETNAM GENERATION). INFORMATION FOR THE FIRST YEAR AFTER RELEASE (AMOUNT OF MONEY EARNED AFTER RELEASE, NUMBER OF DAYS EMPLOYED, AND INCIDENCE OF REARREST) WAS OBTAINED THROUGH INTERVIEWS WITH PAROLE OFFICERS. A COMPARISON OF THE POST-RELEASE EMPLOYMENT AND RECIDIVISM RATES FOR VETERANS AND NON-VETERANS (TABLE 2) AND OF POST-RELEASE EMPLOYMENT FOR VETERANS AND NON-VETERANS EXCLUDING THOSE WITH A LEGITIMATE REASON FOR BEING UNEMPLOYED (E.G., STUDENT, RETIRED, OR MEDICALLY DISABLED) (TABLE 3) INDICATES THAT VETERANS DO NOT EXPERIENCE MORE SEVERE EMPLOYMENT PROBLEMS THAN NON-VETERANS. FOR EXAMPLE, AFTER EXCLUDING THOSE WITH A LEGITIMATE REASON FOR BEING UNEMPLOYED, VIETNAM ERA VETERANS HAD AN UNEMPLOYMENT RATE OF 24 PERCENT AND EARNED AN AVERAGE OF $6,333. THESE DIFFERENCES ARE NOT STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. SIGNIFICANTLY, BOTH GROUPS OF OFFENDERS SHOW POOR POST-RELEASE EMPLOYMENT SUCCESS, AND THEIR AVERAGE EARNINGS ARE NEAR POVERTY LEVEL. THE STUDY INCLUDES CHARTS EXPLORING (1) SOCIOLOGICAL DIFFERENCES BETWEEN VETERANS AND NON-VETERANS AND (2) THE PARTICIPATION IN PRISON PROGRAMS OF VETERANS AND NON-VETERANS.