The Canadian public is supportive of the use of community sanctions rather than imprisonment for many offenders presently being given custodial sentences. The view that imprisonment should be deemphasized as a sanction has been expressed in other parts of the world as well. This paper attempts to explain why it is, given the consensus that apparently exists, that we have not managed adequately to substitue community sanctions for imprisonment. It suggests that the reason for our apparent failure is that we do little to ensure that any sanctions are used appropriately. Without a coherent sentencing policy there seems little hope of bringing sentencing practice under control. In order to implement a policy of reduced use of imprisonment, two of the necessary conditions appear to be the enactment by Parliament of a coherent sentencing policy that endorses the use of community sanctions and a method of providing authoritative and unambiguous guidance on sentencing to judges. These two conditions, combined with a program of well-run community sanctions, are necessary to accomplish a goal that has been accepted in Canada for over half a century. 2 notes, 23 references. (Author abstract)