A review of studies of other private and public correctional facilities in nearly every State yielded 20 selected variables that were of proven utility, unique, and replicable from Massachusetts inmate records. Of these 20 variables, 15 were concerned with present offense, background characteristics, or prior criminal history, and 5 were concerned with present incarceration and release conditions. A 10 percent random sample of the inmate folders of 107 commitments and 97 releases to the Massachusetts Department of Corrections during 1979 was searched for data that were representative of each of the 20 variables. The sample of commitments was used for the first 15 variables and the sample of releases for the last 5 variables. Findings from the data collection efforts for each variable showed that 16 were found in more than half of the inmate folders. The fact that a large number of variables used by other corrections agencies can be replicated in the corrections data base used in Massachusetts will add significantly to researchers' capabilities. Twenty-two tables are provided. (deg)