ABSTRACT
This paper examines one form of domain linkage; it considers how one domain (categorical program) "uses" another domain to realize its mission. Most of us think we have a pretty clear idea of what we mean by the domains of public programs like mental health, education, law enforcement, income support and the long list of other programmatic categories we associate with the modern welfare state. The argument in this paper is that the official designation of a program by itself fails to take account of those situations where a program, designed to achieve a specific goal, finds that other programs are "getting used" to dealing with the underlying problem. Sometimes the use of one domain to achieve the ends of another is explicit, for example, if the criminal justice system is ineffective in reducing criminal recidivism then offenders should be "diverted" to other systems such as education and training (Wilson, 1979, p. 66). But sometimes the process is a by-product of non-intended processes. We hope to show that this form of domain linkage is both interesting and important and has not received the systematic attention that the subject warrants.
