ABSTRACT
A problem of correctional management that was identified during the 1980s was the need for initiatives that provided a continuous range of community-based programs on a punitive scale in between probation and incarceration. Many observers and practitioners called for “alternative sentences” or “intermediate sanctions” to handle the bulk of middle-range offenders in both the adult and juvenile sectors. A balanced approach to sentencing would indeed provide a continuum of community-based programs with increasing penalties in addition to locked facilities, and would take into account the special characteristics of the juvenile offender population. That realization grew among juvenile corrections planners in several states that began to reformulate their juvenile correctional models so that programs could become more diverse and flexible. Often, administrators who run state systems derive approval for implementing “get-tough” strategies, but encounter political roadblocks when seeking mental health programming or needed services to reduce recidivism of offenders returning to their communities.
