THE REPORT, WHICH CONSISTS OF 10 TABLES AND 2 GRAPHS ACCOMPANIED BY A NARRATIVE ANALYSIS, COVERS COMMITMENTS TO AND RELEASES FROM THE STATE'S PRISON, JUVENILE TRAINING SCHOOL, AND JUVENILE DIAGNOSTIC CENTER. THE STATE PRISON POPULATION DECREASED BY 7.7 PERCENT BETWEEN FISCAL 1976-77 AND 1977-78 (6.3 PERCENT FOR THE SENTENCED POPULATION, 15 PERCENT FOR THOSE AWAITING TRIAL, 19.8 PERCENT FOR MAXIMUM SECURITY, 3.9 PERCENT FOR MEDIUM SECURITY, AND 1.2 PERCENT FOR MINIMUM SECURITY). THE NUMBER OF MEN IN THE WORK RELEASE PROGRAM INCREASED BY 51.5 PERCENT. THE FEMALE INMATE POPULATION INCREASED BY 14.3 PERCENT. A TOTAL OF 2,140 ADULTS WERE INCARCERATED DURING FISCAL 1977-78, 46 PERCENT ON SENTENCES. OF THE 461 SENTENCED INMATES WHO LEFT THE PRISON DURING THE YEAR, 45 PERCENT HAD EXPIRED SENTENCES, 33.8 PERCENT WERE RELEASED ON PAROLE, 7.8 PERCENT WERE DISCHARGED BY A COURT, 5.3 PERCENT WERE BAILED, 3.8 PERCENT WERE TRANSFERED OUT OF STATE, AND 4.2 PERCENT EITHER ESCAPED, WERE TRANSFERED TO A MEDICAL FACILITY OR TO THE TRAINING SCHOOL, OR DIED. THERE WERE 453 YOUTHS DETAINED AT THE TRAINING SCHOOL IN FISCAL 1977-78, INCLUDING 364 MALES AND 89 FEMALES. THE SCHOOL EXPERIENCED A CONSIDERABLE NUMBER OF ELOPEMENTS (254 BY MALES AND 38 BY FEMALES) DURING THE YEAR. A TOTAL OF 205 YOUTHS PASSED THROUGH THE DIAGNOSTIC CENTER, WHICH EXPERIENCED 12 ELOPEMENTS (10 BY FEMALES AND 2 BY MALES). THE TRAINING SCHOOL POPULATION INCREASED BY 42 PERCENT OVER THE COURSE OF THE YEAR. THE AVERAGE POPULATION AT THE DIAGNOSTIC CENTER WAS 10.5 PERCENT BELOW THE 1976-77 AVERAGE. (LKM)