The issues cited most often by local criminal justice officials included prison overcrowding, discrepancies between sentences given and actual time served, insufficient time served by repeat and serious offenders, and inconsistent sentences for similar offenses. There was relatively little consensus concerning potential sentencing policies to remedy these perceived problems. The most frequently suggested policy options included developing alternatives to incarceration, building more prisons, and modifying the parole system. The overwhelming majority of respondents did not favor the use of a risk assessment instrument nor the implementation of either mandatory or voluntary sentencing guidelines. 8 figures, 1 note, and 14 references (Author abstract modified)