The respondents represented the major groups of providers of service likely to deal with mentally ill offenders and defendants in the Greater Miami, Florida, area. Findings indicate that mentally ill offenders and defendants are seen as manageable in the community, but needing high degrees of structure, security, and control. Thus, closely supervised residential care was emphasized. Because of the complex interface between the criminal justice system and the mental health/psychiatric system, staff working with 'forensic' clients need to be specialized and well trained, according to respondents. Generally, the concept of community based care for this client group is regarded positively, given the limitations of jails, prisons, and mental hospitals to deal with their needs. (Author abstract)