During the year 1974, total admissions to Massachusetts correctional institutions increased by 7.2 percent from 4,037 to 4,328 inmates. The two major categories of admissions -- from the street -court commitments and returning parole violators -- decreased significantly: 19.7 percent for court commitments and 20.9 percent for parole violators. The increase in total admissions during 1974 was due to a threefold increase in the number of persons received to await trial. The total number of releases from the institutions also increased by 7.7 percent. The major category of releases -paroles -- decreased substantially; however, the number of releases due to good behavior or sentence expiration increased substantially. The total number of admissions and releases continued to increase during 1975, and the total inmate population increased during this year after having remained stable in 1974. The total number of transfers among the institutions increased by 5.6 percent in 1974 and by 8.2 percent in 1975, due to the opening of a reception diagnostic center and to the opening of several prerelease centers. Extensive tabular data are included.