Abstract:Beginning in 1988 government policy as regards incarceration of offenders appeared to move away from custody towards punishment in the community. This piece of research examines two community initiatives which purport to provide viable alternatives to custody which could be utilised by the courts in place of a prison sentence. The work describes and compares a community project based in Dumbarton, which is administered and partially financed by Save The Children Fund in partnership with Strathclyde region social work department; with an initiative in Middlesbrough which is administered by probation officers and forms part of the statutory resource unit for the area of Cleveland. The paper examines the aims of such projects, the programmes they have adopted and their outcomes. It is suggested that the Home Secretary should reconsider such ‘alternatives