AN OVERVIEW OF THE BORSTAL SYSTEM WHICH INCARCERATES MALES AGED 15 TO 21 IN GREAT BRITAIN AND A REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE ON ABSCONDING INTRODUCE THIS RESEARCH STUDY. THREE PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS WERE USED TO ASSESS PERSONALITY TRAITS OF 1,072 TRAINEES IN OPEN AND CLOSED BORSTALS; THE MAUDSLEY PERSONALITY INVENTORY, THE HOSTILITY AND DIRECTION OF HOSTILITY QUESTIONNAIRE OF FOULDS ET AL., AND A TEST DEVELOPED BY SMALLEY TO CLASSIFY DELINQUENTS. ON THE BASIS OF THE TESTS, THERE IS LITTLE EVIDENCE TO SUGGEST THAT PERSONALITY FACTORS PLAY A SIGNIFICANT PART IN THE ETIOLOGY OF ABSCONDING. OF THOSE WHO HAVE ABSCONDED, EXTROVERSION, GENERAL HOSTILITY, AND DIRECTION OF HOSTILITY SCORES APPEAR TO BE RELATED TO THE TYPE OF ABSCONDER IN CERTAIN SITUATIONS -- THOSE ABSCONDING ALONE, AS SELF-CONFESSED GROUP LEADER, AND IN A GROUP BUT NOT AS LEADER. PREVIOUS SIMILAR BEHAVIOR DIFFERENTIATED ABSCONDERS FROM NONABSCONDERS. THE NUMBER OF PREVIOUS CONVICTIONS WAS NOT SIGNIFICANT IN EITHER OPEN OR CLOSE BORSTALS, ALTHOUGH AN EARLY AGE OF ONSET OF DELINQUENCY WAS SO RELATED IN CLOSED INSTITUTIONS. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT FINDING WAS THAT MOTOR VEHICLE OFFENDERS HAVE A HIGHER ABSCOND RATE FROM OPEN INSTITUTIONS THAN OTHER TRAINEES. DATA ON THE PERSONAL CHARACTERISTICS OF THE TRAINEES, THE NATURE OF THEIR OFFENSES, AND THE REASONS FOR ABSCONDING ARE PRESENTED IN TABULAR FORM. A CHAPTER IS DEVOTED TO THE IN CONSIDERING ENVIRONMENTAL EFFECTS (E.G., TIME IN SENTENCE AND PEER INFLUENCES IN GROUP ABSCONDING) IT IS SHOWN THAT A HIGH PERCENTAGE OF THOSE WHO ABSCOND DO SO EARLY IN SENTENCE. THEREFORE, IN LIEU OF BUILDING MORE SECURE AND MORE EXPENSIVE INSTITUTIONS, THE MOVEMENT OF TRAINEES BETWEEN DIFFERENT DEGREES OF SECURITY SHOULD BE CONSIDERED. A MODEL OF ABSCONDING IS SUGGESTED WHICH ATTEMPTS TO ACCOUNT FOR THE RESEARCH RESULTS FROM APPROVED SCHOOLS, BORSTALS, AND PRISONS. SOME IMPLICATIONS OF THE ABSCONDING MODEL FOR THE ADMINISTRATIVE ORGANIZATION OF THE BORSTAL SYSTEM ARE DISCUSSED. FINALLY, SUGGESTIONS ARE MADE FOR FURTHER STUDY, AND THE GENERAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE RESEARCH RESULTS ARE CONSIDERED. APPENDIXES GIVE THE ABSCONDING RATES FOR PRISONS, BORSTALS, AND APPROVED SCHOOLS; THE SMALLEY QUESTIONNAIRE WITH INSTRUCTIONS FOR ADMINISTRATION; COMPARISON BETWEEN ABSCONDERS AND NONABSCONDERS ON PERSONALITY TESTS; AND COMPARISON OF SUBGROUPS OF ABSCONDERS ON PERSONALITY TESTS. REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--DJM)