Overcrowding and poor conditions are widespread problems in juvenile detention facilities. Advocacy and case management have emerged in recent years as a creative strategies for reducing detention populations. Creating independent entities designed to advocate for and provide services exclusively to youth who otherwise would be held in secure detention has enabled juvenile justice systems to significantly alleviate overcrowding and disproportionate minority confinement while providing high-quality community- based interventions. These programs operate outside normal institutional processes and can avoid and net widening and marginalization effects that often undermine detention alternatives. The essential element in establishing an effective advocacy and case management program is instilling the staff with a sense of mission to serve as a true alternative to secure detention. These programs offer the opportunity for success where other programs have failed. 15 references