ACCORDING TO LITERATURE, WORK RELEASE, ALSO KNOWN AS WORK OR EDUCATION FURLOUGH, DAY PAROLE, DAY PASS, AND TEMPORARY RELEASE, HAS THESE FOLLOWING BENEFITS: (1) ECONOMIC (THE PRISONER PAYS CONFINEMENT COSTS AND CAN SUPPORT A FAMILY), (2) REHABILITATIVE (THE PRISONER IS NOT IDLE AND NOT EXPOSED TO CONTINUOUS MORAL DECAY ASSOCIATED WITH INCARCERATION), AND (3) THE BENEFIT OF INTEGRATED GOALS (THE PRISONER CAN RECEIVE REHABILITATIVE TREATMENT AND POSSIBLY WORK TO PAY BACK A VICTIM). TO TEST THESE THEORETICAL BELIEFS ABOUT WORK RELEASE PROGRAMS, RESEARCHERS INTERVIEWED STAFF AT SAN JOAQUIN, SANTA CLARA, SAN MATEO, AND LOS ANGELES, CALIF., INSTITUTIONS, WORK RELEASE INMATES, AND FURLOUGH EMPLOYERS. THE RESPONSES WERE ANALYZED IN CONJUNCTION WITH THEORETICAL PREDICTIONS. THE RESULTS INDICATE THAT VERY LITTLE IS KNOWN ABOUT WORK RELEASE, EVEN BY THE PROFESSIONALS, AND CORRECTIONAL STAFF SELDOM RELY ON HISTORICAL PRECEDENT. THE PUREST FORM OF WORK RELEASE, I.E., USE IN SHORT TERM CONFINEMENT SITUATIONS WHICH ALLOW EMPLOYMENT TO BE CONTINUOUS AND INSURE A MINIMUM LOSS TO COMMUNITY CONTACT, IS FOUND AT THE LOCAL LEVEL. WORK RELEASE PROCEDURES WERE SIMILAR FOR THE COUNTIES AND PARTICIPANTS WERE USUALLY MINIMUM SECURITY INMATES CONVICTED FOR CRIMES OTHER THAN SEX-RELATED OR DRUG-RELATED OFFENSES. THEY HAD A MEAN AGE OF 35 AND OFTEN HAD FAMILIES. EMPLOYERS WERE EITHER IN AN AGRICULTURAL BUSINESS AND CRITICALLY NEEDED HELP OR IN NONAGRICULTURAL BUSINESS BUT INTERESTED IN THE REHABILITATIVE ASPECTS OF THE PROGRAM. EXTENSIVE RESEARCH ABOUT WORK RELEASE IS NEEDED SINCE NO CLEAR DEFINITION OF FURLOUGHEES' RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES EXIST AND NO MEANS OF EVALUATING THE PROGRAM HAS BEEN DEVELOPED. APPENDIXES CONTAIN THE SURVEY INSTRUMENT, TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCES. (DAG)