Over the last 10 years there has been a striking development in the system of community-based programs to replace or supplement institutional care for juvenile offenders. However, the analysis of 30 community-based residential programs in six metropolitan areas found that the community-based model of services is still a relatively untried experiment due in part to the lack of clarity in defining conceptual goals and organizational needs. Conceptually, community-based programs were designed to enhance community integration of delinquent youths and to facilitate family involvement. Economic, legal and community resistance factors have limited the effectiveness of these conceptual goals. The use of community resources tends to be limited to medical, police, social, and free recreational services. Family involvement is absent, largely due to the limited avenues of involvement provided by the programs. From an organizational perspective, community-based programs suffer from fiscal difficulties, lack of control in placement decision making, high staff burnout and turnover, and low staff morale. Rather than furthering development of an alternative, community-based model, the adaptive mechanisms available to ensure survival have pushed these programs closer to the self-contained correctional model. (BL)