THE RATE OF RETURN TO INSTITUTIONS AND OCCUPATIONAL AND EDUCATIONAL STATUS WERE EXAMINED IN QUESTIONS ASKED ABOUT THE SOCIOECOMIC STATUS OF PAROLEE FAMILIES, ETHNICITY OF PAROLEES, PREINSTITUTIONAL SCHOOL ATTENDANCE RECORDS, URBAN OR RURAL RESIDENCE OF PAROLEES, AGE OF PAROLEES AT THE TIME OF INSTITUTIONAL RELEASE, AGE OF ENTRY INTO THE TEXAS YOUTH COUNCIL (TYC), SEX OF PAROLEES, AND COMMITMENT OFFENSE. REGARDING CHARACTERISTICS OF PAROLE OFFICERS, THREE ISSUES OF INTEREST TO CORRECTIONAL PERSONNEL WERE ADDRESSED INCLUDING THE FOLLOWING: (1) SHOULD PAROLE POLICIES BE MODIFIED TO PLACE LESS EMPHASIS ON OFFICERS AS COUNSELORS AND MORE EMPHASIS ON OTHER FUNCTIONS SUCH AS ADVOCATE OR RESOURCE BROKER; (2) WHAT ARE THE RELATIONSHIPS AMONG PAROLE, PAROLE OFFICERS, PREINSTITUTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS, AND RECIDIVISM AMONG TYC WARDS; AND (3) WHAT RELATIONSHIPS EXIST BETWEEN NEGATIVE AND POSITIVE MEASURES OF PAROLE EFFECTIVENESS. THREE SAMPLES OF YOUTH WERE STUDIED, INCLUDING SUBJECTS FOR WHOM DATA WERE AVAILABLE ON AT LEAST SOME VARIABLES, SUBJECTS 16 YEARS OF AGE OR LESS, AND SUBJECTS FOR WHOM NO DATA WERE MISSING. THESE SUBJECTS REPRESENTED YOUTH PLACED ON PAROLE FROM MAY 1975 TO JULY 1976. A COMMUNICATION SKILLS INDEX WAS EMPLOYED TO MEASURE THE COMMUNICATION ABILITY OF PAROLE OFFICERS. APPROXIMATELY 7 PERCENT OF THE YOUTH WERE RETURNED TO A TYC INSTITUTION FOR PAROLE VIOLATION BY JUNE 1977. THE RATE OF RETURN TO AN INSTITUTION WAS SIGNIFICANTLY RELATED TO THE AGE OF PAROLEES UPON INITIAL ENTRY AND RELEASE AND TO COMMITMENT OFFENSE. FOLLOWUP STATUS ON PAROLE WAS ASSOCIATED WITH SUCH VARIABLES AS ETHNICITY, PRIOR SCHOOL ATTENDANCE RECORDS, SIZE OF THE COUNTY OF RESIDENCE, AND AGE AT RELEASE. PAROLE OFFICER CHARACTERISTICS WERE NOT RELATED TO THE SUCCESS OF YOUTH ON PAROLE. DIRECTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH TO EVALUATE STUDENT SKILLS AND BEHAVIOR, RETURN TO TYC, SCHOOL ENROLLMENT, EMPLOYMENT, HOME ADJUSTMENT, THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CORRECTIONS IN REHABILITATING CRIMINALS, RECIDIVISM RATES, AND THE DERIVATION OF BETTER INFORMATION ON CLIENTS AND APPROPRIATE INTERVENTIONS ARE DISCUSSED. INFORMATION ON THE PROCESSING OF JUVENILE DELINQUENTS IS CONTAINED IN AN APPENDIX. SUPPORTING DATA AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. DEP