What is a salient factor score?

The U.S. Parole Commission uses the salient factor score as an aid in assessing an offender's likelihood of favorable outcome upon release.

The instrument contains seven items: prior convictions, prior commitments, age at first commitment, whether the commitment offense involved auto theft or checks, whether parole had ever been revoked or the inmate is a probation violator, history of opiate dependence, and verified employment or full-time school attendance for at least 6 months during the last 2 years in the community. A total score ranging from 0 to 11 points is assigned; the higher the score, the higher the probability of favorable outcome upon release.