THE CONFERENCE WAS ATTENDED BY THE 19 MEMBER STATES OF THE COUNCIL OF EUROPE. MUCH OF THE DISCUSSION ON PENITENTIARY FURLOUGH EXPERIMENTS CENTERED AROUND PROGRAMS IN DENMARK. FURLOUGH PRISONERS REMAIN IN PRISON BUT HAVE THE RIGHT TO WORK ON A REGULAR BASIS IN A POSITION ON THE 'OUTSIDE' AND MAY ALSO VISIT THEIR FAMILIES. THE THEORY UNDERLYING THE CONCEPT OF PENITENTIARY FURLOUGH IS THAT MAINTAINING COMMUNITY TIES THROUGH EMPLOYMENT AND FAMILY RELATIONS IS THE ONLY WAY TO BREAK THE VICIOUS CIRCLE OF OFFENSE-CONVICTION-PRISON WHICH OFFENDERS WOULD OTHERWISE UNDERGO. FEARS OFTEN EXPRESSED IN RELATION TO THE FURLOUGH SYSTEM ARE THAT: (1) THE IMPACT OF SENTENCING WOULD BE REDUCED; (2) THE PENITENTIARY SYSTEM WOULD BE UNDERMINED FROM WITHIN; AND (3) THE SAFETY OF THE PUBLIC WOULD BE JEOPARDIZED. RESEARCH CONDUCTED IN DENMARK SHOWS THAT SENTENCES HAVE NOT BEEN REDUCED IN FORCE: THOSE SENTENCED TO OPEN PRISONS MAY SPEND ONLY 9 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL SENTENCE TIME OUTSIDE OF PRISON, WHILE THOSE IN CLOSED PRISONS MAY SPEND ONLY 4 PERCENT. PUBLIC SAFETY IS ASSURED BY THE PRACTICE OF CONSULTATION BETWEEN THE POLICE AND CORRECTIONAL PERSONNEL PRIOR TO GRANTING FURLOUGH TO AN INMATE; STATISTICS SHOW THAT THE POLICE AGREE WITH THE PENITENTIARY AUTHORITIES IN 90 PERCENT OF THE CASES. A 1975 DANISH INVESTIGATION FOUND THAT IN ONLY 6.6 PERCENT OF THE TOTAL FURLOUGH CASES DID PRISONERS ABUSE THE PRIVILEGE BY NOT RETURNING ON TIME OR NOT RETURNING AT ALL. THE SUCCESSFUL ESCAPE RATE WAS 0.2 PERCENT; ONLY 1 OUT OF 100 INMATES TOOK ADVANTAGE OF HIS TIME ON THE OUTSIDE TO COMMIT AN OFFENSE (NO HOMICIDES WERE COMMITTED). THE AMOUNT OF GOODS OR MONEY STOLEN DURING THIS TIME WAS SO SMALL THAT THE CONFERENCE MEMBERS PROPOSED INSTITUTING STATE GUARANTEE SYSTEMS FOR PUBLIC DAMAGES SUFFERED AT THE HANDS OF FURLOUGHED INMATES. INMATES WOULD BE REQUIRED TO MAKE FULL RESTITUTION AFTER HAVING BEEN RETURNED TO PRISON. PENITENTIARY FURLOUGH IS SEEN AS AN EXCELLENT MEANS OF TRANSITION BETWEEN PRISON AND FULL REINTEGRATION INTO SOCIETY. -- FRENCH. (DAS)