Texas's Project RIO (Re-Integration of Offenders), which was developed in cooperation with the National Institute of Justice, National Institute of Corrections, and U.S. Department of Education's Office of Correctional Education, began in 1985 as a two-city pilot program to place parolees in jobs. Project RIO has since expanded steadily and now employees more than 100 staff members in 62 offices who provide job placement services to nearly 16,000 parolees annually in nearly every county in Texas. Project RIO serves parolees through full-service offices in Texas' seven largest cities, balance of state offices in smaller jurisdictions, and itinerant service providers. Six months before their release, inmates participating in Project RIO receive the following services: assessment and testing; assistance in gathering employment-related documentation; job readiness training; assistance in completing self-paced employability and life skills workbooks; and a 65-day life skills program. The following services are provided to inmates after their release: outreach, recruitment, and intake; job preparation; job placement; and follow-up services to meet medical and various personal needs. Project RIO has placed 69% of more than 100,000 ex-offenders since 1985. Participation in RIO is a statistically significant predictor of post-release employment. Efforts to replicate the RIO model in Georgia are now under way. (Six contact persons and three World Wide Web sources of additional information are listed.) (MN)