BETWEEN THE TIME THE FURLOUGH PROGRAM WAS IMPLEMENTED IN 1972 TO DECEMBER 31, 1978, A TOTAL OF 50,625 FURLOUGHS WERE GRANTED. IN 477 CASES, INMATES FAILED TO RETURN TO THEIR RESPECTIVE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY WITHIN 2 HOURS OF THE PRESCRIBED TIME OF RETURN, AN OVERALL ESCAPE RATE OF 0.9 PERCENT. INMATES CONVICTED FOR RAPE HAD A HIGHER ESCAPE RATE THAN INMATES CONVICTED FOR OTHER OFFENSES. INDIVIDUALS WITH 16 OR MORE PRIOR COURT APPEARANCES AND WITH PRIOR STATE OR FEDERAL INCARCERATIONS HAD A HIGHER ESCAPE RATE THAN INDIVIDUALS WITH 15 OR LESS PRIOR COURT APPEARANCES AND INDIVIDUALS WITH NO PRIOR STATE OR FEDERAL INCARCERATIONS. INMATES INCARCERATED AT 25 YEARS OF AGE AND YOUNGER HAD A HIGHER ESCAPE RATE THAN INMATES 26 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER, AND INDIVIDUALS 16 YEARS OF AGE AND YOUNGER AT THE TIME OF THEIR FIRST ARREST HAD A SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER ESCAPE RATE THAN INDIVIDUALS FIRST ARRESTED AT 17 YEARS OF AGE AND OLDER. ALTHOUGH THE NUMBER OF FURLOUGHS GRANTED FROM 1972 TO 1978 FLUCTUATED, THE ESCAPE RATE DECREASED FROM 1.9 PERCENT IN 1972 TO 0.4 PERCENT IN 1978 AND REMAINED RELATIVELY STABLE FROM 1975 TO 1978. OVERALL, THE NUMBER OF FURLOUGHS GRANTED FROM LOWER-SECURITY, PRERELEASE CENTERS INCREASED AND FEWER FURLOUGHS FROM HIGHER-SECURITY, CORRECTIONAL INSTITUTIONS WERE GRANTED. FROM AN AVERAGE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY POPULATION OF 2,793 INDIVIDUALS STATEWIDE, AN AVERAGE OF 470 INMATES RECEIVED A FURLOUGH DURING THE COURSE OF A MONTH. DATA ON ESCAPE RATES ARE PRESENTED IN RELATION TO OFFENSE TYPE (PERSON, PROPERTY, SEX, DRUG, AND OTHER), SENTENCE, PERSONAL BACKGROUND CHARACTERISTICS, CRIMINAL HISTORY, AND FURLOUGH VARIABLES. (DEP)