The procedure was developed as a result of a court order which specified that the procedure would include inmate representation and would be supervised and approved by a court-appointed master. The procedure involved a seven-stage process as well as a provision for emergency grievances and special grievances. Inmates could file grievances related to policies, rules, procedures, the lack of a policy or regulation, actions by employees, reprisals by staff, violations of disciplinary rules or procedures, case file material reviewed by the parole board, classification committee hearings, work/training release decisions, and policies and procedures of institutional industries. Emergency grievances were permitted where health or welfare was in jeopardy. During the study period, 838 grievances were filed by 651 inmates. All races used the grievance system. Of the 655 grievances that have been resolved, 40 percent have been resolved in the inmate's favor, 36 percent in the State's favor, and 23 percent in a compromise decision. Grievances against the program constituted 38 percent of the grievances. One third of the grievances were against the staff, most often for unfair treatment. The evaluation revealed that the term grievance was defined too broadly, that informal resolution did not cope with as many grievances as intended, that inmates involved in the procedure held considerable power over other inmates, and that confidentiality was a problem. These and other problems have been addressed and corrected in a grievance procedure developed by the State Department of Corrections. Appendixes present forms, data, and details of the grievance procedure.