For over two decades, there has been a progressive emergence of Shakespeare-focussed, performance-based programmes intended for use as criminal rehabilitation in the USA. Prison based criminal retribution, though historically prevalent, remains controversial. Although it is still used as a common method for rehabilitation, evidence demonstrates that alternative sentences have a consistently more positive impact on reducing rates of recidivism. Some criminal justice organisations and institutions in the United States of America have invested in enabling Shakespeare courses to become supplements or, in some juvenile cases, alternatives to incarceration. In particular, some state judiciary courts have introduced a series of Shakespeare courses to serve as alternative sentences for juvenile crime. The Shakespeare focussed alternative programme considered in this research is celebrating its seventeenth anniversary in 2017. This article considers the specific programme practices and reported outcomes of one now well established, yet widely underreported, Shakespeare-based alternative programme for juveniles in the USA, exploring the juvenile perspectives of the outcomes of activities that are designed for them by adults working in performing arts and/or juvenile criminal services. Key outcomes from participants related specifically to programme content, the selection and use of Shakespeare, skills acquisition and personal development culminating in overall behavioural change.