One month after their release from incarceration, 224 drug abuser parolees were assigned to routine parole procedures enhanced by weekly drug abuse counseling and urine monitoring. They were administered the Addiction Severity Index (ASI) to determine the ability of the ASI to predict substance abuse treatment outcome during the first year of parole. Outcome was measured by participation in treatment, the occurrence of major infractions, drug use, and employment. The principal assessment instrument used in determining treatment outcome was a questionnaire that covered the 1-year parole period, which was completed by research personnel on the basis of information obtained from parole records. Results revealed the prominence of two problem areas in predicting outcome: employment and drug use. Parolees with no initially identifiable problems in these areas were more likely to experience favorable outcomes at the end of the year. In addition to indicating significant relationships between ASI problem area scores and treatment outcome, the results of the present study highlight the predictive importance of a few critical items of information early in the treatment course: number of days experiencing a drug use and/or employment problem in the past month and, within the context of a standardized interview approach, the perception of the parolees' need for drug abuse treatment obtained from both parolee and interviewer perspectives. 2 tables and 8 references