DEMOGRAPHIC DATA WERE OBTAINED FROM THE FILES OF ADULT FELONS IN INSTITUTIONS IN VIRGINIA, PENNSYLVANIA, AND NEW YORK. SUBJECTS SELECTED WERE LIMITED TO INMATES ELIGIBLE FOR PAROLE BETWEEN 1974 AND 1977 WHO HAD BEEN APPROVED TO LEAVE THE INSTITUTION ON AT LEAST ONE PRIOR OCCASION. A TOTAL OF 252 SUBJECTS WERE CLASSIFIED AS SUCCESSFUL (RETURNED TO THE INSTITUTION ON TIME) AND 232 WERE CONSIDERED UNSUCCESSFUL (LISTED AS ABSCONDERS). PERSONALITY TESTS (MINNESOTA MULTIPHASIC PERSONALITY INVENTORY, THE CALIFORNIA PSYCHOLOGICAL INVENTORY, AND THE S-O RORSCHACH TEST) WERE ADMINISTERED TO 70 MINIMUM SECURITY ADULT MALE FELONS ELIGIBLE FOR FURLOUGH IN VIRGINIA. A LINEAR DISCRIMINANT ANALYSIS OF THE FURLOUGH SUCCESS AND FAILURE CASES PRODUCED A DISCRIMINATE FUNCTION CONTAINING THE FOLLOWING VARIABLES IN THE ORDER OF THEIR CONTRIBUTIONS TO THE TOTAL EQUATION: LENGTH OF TERM, TO WHOM FURLOUGHED, RELATIONSHIP TO PAROLE ELIGIBILITY, MONTHS SERVED PRIOR TO FURLOUGH, EMOTIONAL MATURITY, NUMBER OF PAROLE VIOLATIONS, NUMBER OF PRIOR FURLOUGHS, AND MARITAL STATUS. THESE VARIABLES CLASSIFIED THE FURLOUGH SUCCESS AND FAILURE CASES 73 PERCENT OF THE TIME. THE FOLLOWING PERSONALITY TEST SCALES AND/OR FACTORS SHOWED SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN MEANS BETWEEN THE POTENTIAL FURLOUGH SUCCESS AND FAILURE GROUP: PANTON'S SPECIAL MMPI SCALES AND HABITUAL CRIMINAL SCALE, PRISON ADJUSTMENT SCALE, AND ESCAPISM SCALE; THE CPI FACTOR II SCALES AND RESPONSIBILITY, SOCIALIZATION, TOLERANCE, AND GOOD IMPRESSION; AND THE FACTOR III SCALE AND ACHIEVEMENT VIA CONFORMITY. SIGNIFICANT RORSCHACH FACTORS WERE F, M, H, P, AND FCH. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--RCB)