The study examines juvenile justice policy in Massachusetts before the reform era, during the reform era, and during the closing months of 1985. Data were obtained from various sources, including interviews, field visits, official statistics, public documents, and unpublished reports of the Department of Youth Services and other State agencies. Secondary sources include Harvard Center reports and other published works on juvenile justice in Massachusetts during the past 15 years. Over the last 15 years, Massachusetts has implemented and consolidated a juvenile deinstitutionalization policy that runs counter to the 'get-tough' policies being adopted in most jurisdictions. Massachusetts has chosen a community-based, noninstitutional approach for dealing with juvenile delinquents. Although this study's data cannot be taken as conclusive, there is evidence that the radical policies developed in the late 1960's and early 1970's still dominate juvenile justice administration in the State. At a minimum, the Massachusetts experience indicates that deinstitutionalization cannot be dismissed as visionary or unworkable. Fears that community-based programming will threaten community security have apparently not been confirmed by the experience in Massachusetts. This article lists policy and evaluative questions that still need to be asked of the Massachusetts experience. 14 notes and 40 references.