AFTER A BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF PAROLE PROCEDURES IN THE UNITED KINGDOM AND A REVIEW OF SOME OF THE PROBLEMS ASSOCIATED WITH THE PAROLE SYSTEM, THE METHODOLOGY OF THE PRESENT STUDY IS DESCRIBED. AS THE AIM WAS TO OBTAIN A SAMPLE OF 100 PAROLEES, A TOTAL OF 220 INMATES WERE INTERVIEWED. DATA WAS GATHERED ON THE SELF-CONCEPT, CRIMINAL HISTORY, DEMOGRAPHIC FACTORS, PRISON EXPERIENCES PRISON PERCEPTIONS, AND PAROLE PERFORMANCE OF THE INMATES. DATA COLLECTION METHODS INCLUDED PERSONAL INTERVIEWS, REVIEW OF PRISON RECORDS, INTERVIEWS WITH THE PAROLE OFFICERS, AND A REVIEW OF RECONVICTION RECORDS. THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE INMATES WERE ANALYZED, AND, BASED ON THESE CHARACTERISTICS, A TYPOLOGY OF CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR WAS DEVELOPED. THIS TYPOLOGY CLASSED INMATES AS CRIME-INTERRUPTED NONCRIMINAL, IMPULSIVE OFFENDERS, NON-SYSTEMATIC HABITUAL OFFENDERS, PROFESSIONAL OFFENDERS PETTY PERSISTENT OFFENDERS, AND CON MEN. SUCH FACTORS AS THE INMATE'S HOME ENVIRONMENT, SUCCESS, SELF-CONCEPT, PRISONIZATION, RESPONSE TO TREATMENT, AND RELATIONS WITH STAFF ARE EXAMINED. THEN, AFTER DESCRIBING THE CRITERIA FOR PAROLE SELECTION, THE INMATES' PERCEPTIONS AND KNOWLEDGE OF THE PROCESS IS EXPLORED. FINALLY, THE EXPERIENCES OF THE PRISONERS DURING PAROLE ARE DESCRIBED, INCLUDING THE PROBLEMS OF REENTRY, THEIR SELF-CONCEPT, THE PERCEPTIONS OF THE PAROLEE WITH RESPECT TO PAROLE AND THE PAROLE OFFICER, AND THE PATTERNS OF PAROLE SUCCESS AND FAILURE. IN THE CONCLUDING SECTION THE FINDINGS OF THIS STUDY ARE EXAMINED WITH RESPECT TO A NEW POLICY OF PAROLE.