The author first presents a case for a synthesis of denunciatory and retributive principles as the general justifying aim of punishment as a social institution. This is followed by a discussion of the synchronic factors that provide the context of the shifting penal debate, starting from the rehabilitative era and its subsequent decline in the 1960's, to the rediscovery of punishment through the back-to-justice movement. The current perceptions of penal debate are outlined. To facilitate an understanding of the penal debate in the last decade of the 20th Century, the book outlines and discusses the recommendations of the California Blue Ribbon Commission Report (1990) regarding the future of the penal system. The latter section of the book focuses on two aspects of the implementation of a policy of expanded intermediate sanctions: the process of reform and substantive policy considerations in the pursuit of a plausible intermediate sanction. Drawing on empirical research from intermediate sanctions in California, the author suggests a form of intermediate sanction that can simultaneously provide for lifestyle intervention with offenders, satisfy retributive concerns for the targeted population of offenders, and provide for effective monitoring of offenders in community settings. Overall, the premise of the book's argument is that intermediate sanctions must have public and professional credibility. 98 references and a subject index