THIS STUDY HAD TWO PARTS. FIRST, DATA ON DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS, SOCIAL CHARACTERISTICS, AND OFFENSE HISTORY WERE ANALYZED FOR SAMPLES OF 40 ABSCONDERS AND 40 NONABSCONDING JUVENILES AT THE STONEWALL JACKSON TRAINING SCHOOL, CONCORD, N.C. (THE AVERAGE DAILY POPULATION CONSISTS OF ABOUT 80 BOYS AND 40 GIRLS.) THIS ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT WHITE YOUTHS WERE SIGNIFICANTLY OVERREPRESENTED AMONG RUNAWAYS WHILE BLACK YOUTH WERE SIGNIFICANTLY UNDERREPRESENTED. THIS FINDING IS STILL VALID WHEN OTHER FACTORS ARE CONTROLLED. INDEPTH INTERVIEWS WERE THEN CONDUCTED WITH A SAMPLE OF 20 RUNAWAYS. THREE RECURRING THEMES WERE ISOLATED: LONELINESS, FEAR, AND RESENTMENT. THE MOST COMMON THEME (EXPRESSED BY MORE THAN 90 PERCENT) WAS HOMESICKNESS, FOR FAMILY, FRIENDS, HOMETOWN, GOOD TIMES, AND GENERALLY MORE FAMILIAR SURROUNDINGS. REJECTION BY PEERS IN THE INSTITUTION AND AN UNRESPONSIVE STAFF CONTRIBUTED TO THIS FEELING. ABOUT 70 PERCENT EXPRESSED FEAR. FEAR WAS ESPECIALLY STRONG AMONG MALES WHO WERE RECIDIVISTS. VICTIMIZED STUDENTS, MANY OF WHOM HAD EXPERIENCED SEXUAL OVERTURES, WERE AFRAID TO SEEK HELP FROM STAFF. ALSO STAFF TEND NOT TO INTERVENE IN SUCH INSTANCES. LONELINESS AND FEAR COMBINE WITH STAFF INDIFFERENCE TO PRODUCE RESENTMENT, WHICH USUALLY TRIGGERS THE ABSCONDING. THE IMPORTANCE OF WARM STAFF RELATIONSHIPS TO THE TROUBLE CHILD IS EXAMINED. THE CORRECTIONAL COMMUNITY, IT IS POINTED OUT, MUST BE A COMMUNITY AND NOT A FORM OF IMPRISONMENT. REFERENCES ARE APPENDED. (GLR)