The concept of using ex-offenders as paraprofessionals in the criminal justice system received considerable lip service throughout the 1960's and early 1970's. It was more an ideal than a reality, however, since very few States had such programs. One of the most ambitious programs was begun in Ohio in 1972. The POAP was begun with an LEAA grant of $842,576 and $561,867 in State matching funds. The Federal funds were to cover the expenses for the first 3 years, with step-down funding in the fourth and fifth years of two-thirds and one-third respectively. The stated goals of the project were to use ex-offenders as aides to professional parole officers to bridge the gap between the APA and parolees, to facilitate communication between corrections and the community, to engender trust and confidence in the correctional system, to decrease recidivism, to reduce parole violations. After 3 years, an evaluation showed that ex-offender professionals could perform parole-officer duties as well as typical parole officers. The POAP was selected as an LEAA exemplary project despite its lack of dramatic success probably because of its uniqueness. The program was terminated apparently because little support existed for it initially and what support there was dwindled with the departure of the original project director. There were also behavioral problems with a number of the aides, tending to provide empirical support for those against the project. The burn-out phenomenon may also have been operative among the ex-offender employees. A total of 52 notes are listed.