Characteristics examined include original commitment, minimum and maximum sentences, facility escaped from, ethnic group, time served since last commitment, length of escape, age at time of escape, and prior adult criminal record. Results indicate that between 1982 and 1986, the average rate of inmate escapes was less than 1 per 1,000 inmates, and that most of the inmates who escaped were serving time for various burglary offenses. Of the escapes during the 5-year period, 31 percent were from camps, 19 percent from minimum security prisons, 27 percent from medium security, and 20 percent from maximum security facilities. Whites accounted for 65 percent of the escapees, while blacks and Hispanics each made up appoximately 17 percent. Sixty-two percent of the escapees were returned to custody within 48 hours, 29 percent within a month, while 9 percent stayed out for more than a month. Additional findings indicate that more than half of the escapees had served less than 1 year in prison at the time of their escape. The percentage of escapees with minimum and maximum sentences of less than 5 years was 83 percent and 53 percent respectively. Results indicate that prior to the most recent imprisonment, more than 72 percent of the escapees had been incarcerated previously either in local jails or prisons. Tabular data.