SINCE ITS IMPLEMENTATION IN 1972, THE HOME FURLOUGH PROGRAM HAS BECOME AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION. AS OF JANUARY 1, 1978, THE DEPARTMENT HAS 2,881 RESIDENTS IN CUSTODY. OF THIS NUMBER, 720 HAD RECEIVED ONE OR MORE FURLOUGHS. THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS FURLOUGHED IN 1978 WAS 1,269, WITH A TOTAL OF 9,111 FURLOUGHS GRANTED. THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF FURLOUGHS PER RESIDENT IN CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES WAS SEVEN. OF THE 9,111 FURLOUGHS GRANTED, 38 OR 0.4 PERCENT RESULTED IN ESCAPE. OF THE 1,269 FURLOUGHED INDIVIDUALS, 38 ESCAPED AT LEAST ONCE, FOR AN ESCAPE RATE OF 3 PERCENT. THE ESCAPE RATE EXCLUDING VOLUNTARY RETURNS, HOWEVER, WAS 0.2 PERCENT. AT THE END OF 1978, 90 PERCENT OF ALL ESCAPEES HAD BEEN RETURNED TO THE CUSTODY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTION. FROM THE INCEPTION OF THE FURLOUGH PROGRAM IN 1972 THROUGH 1978, 50,645 FURLOUGHS WERE GRANTED. THE NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS FURLOUGHED DURING THIS PERIOD WAS 5,275 AND THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF FURLOUGHS PER RESIDENT IN CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES WAS 10. THE OVERALL ESCAPE RATE WAS 0.9 PERCENT, WITH THE ESCAPE RATE BY FURLOUGHED INDIVIDUAL BEING 8.7 PERCENT. EXCLUDING VOLUNTARY RETURNS, THE OVERALL ESCAPE RATE WAS 0.7 PERCENT. RESEARCH ON RECIDIVISM FROM 1973 TO 1976 INDICATES THAT INDIVIDUALS WHO EXPERIENCED ONE OR MORE FURLOUGHS PRIOR TO RELEASE HAD SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER RATES OF RECIDIVISM THAN INDIVIDUALS WHO WERE RELEASED WITHOUT HAVING HAD A FURLOUGH. SUPPORTING DATA AND A LIST OF PUBLICATIONS PERTINENT TO THE FURLOUGH PROGRAM ARE INCLUDED. (DEP)