This report describes an experiment carried out in Baltimore between 1971 and 1974 which was designed to determine, using 432 ex-prison inmates, whether small amounts of financial aid would reduce recidivism among high-risk offenders recently released from prison. The opening section outlines the rationale for financial aid, the research design, the characteristics of the participants, and the urban setting in which they lived. The second section assesses the influence of financial aid and employment assistance on different types of postrelease behavior. Reflecting a review of court records, as well as the results of prerelease and monthly postrelease interviews, this section explores first- and second-year arrest and conviction rates, employment experience, and the contrasting lifestyles of financial aid recipients and nonrecipients. The third section provides three composite portraits of "typical" participants and traces their experiences in the 13 weeks following release. The final section offers a summary analysis and some concluding observations concerning the possible role of financial aid in reducing the economic and social costs of criminal recidivism. The appendixes combine the research design and a sample prerelease interview form. (HD)