The sample was drawn from men eligible for voluntary aftercare released in Leeds, England, between September and December 1976. These men were interviewed within a week after release, 14 days after release, and around the 28th day after their discharge. Although the 'throughcare' model recently developed requires that probation and prisoner welfare officers cooperate closely in providing help from the time a man enters prison until he has reestablished himself after release, findings suggest that relatively few men experienced the systematic teamwork of the relevant workers during imprisonment and after release. For example, only one-third of the sample recalled a postsentence interview, and only one-third of the sample chose to make contact with a probation officer in the month after release. On the one hand, most men who approached a prison welfare officer for help did so with a specific request for practical advice and assistance. On the other hand, a crucial part in maintaining the welfare cycle is played by prisoner-perceived success in the outcomes of their requests for help. At this point, the maintenance cycle for probation services is frequently interrupted. Most men had heard of the probation service in some capacity but were not always aware of their right to expect service on release. For this group who form a high proportion of those eligible for voluntary aftercare, the probation sevice is not seen as a very satisfactory source of help. Those who did use its assistance had a generally positive attitude about the service as a whole. Those who did not use the service tended to be isolated individuals, who could have benefited from the services offered, if better outreach techniques had been used by probation and prison welfare officers. The traditional resistance to reaching out to reluctant ex-prisoners should be reevaluated. Tables and 20 references are provided.