Early in 1989, selected probation areas were invited by the Home Office to establish IP programs. These programs were planned to run for 2 years from April 1990. A study conducted to examine the operation and impact of the IP initiative found that 1,677 offenders were considered as candidates for or sentenced to IP between April 1990 and March 1992; 45 percent of these were sentenced to IP. Offenders serving IP orders generally had long criminal histories, and most had already served a custodial sentence. Two-thirds of referrals not sentenced to IP were given a custodial disposal. Offenders were generally positive about IP and felt it had prevented them from reoffending. The quality of IP organization and management seemed to be as important as the precise nature of the probation scheme in determining success. The IP initiative resulted in a wide variety of probation schemes which successfully targeted high-risk offenders. Significant differences, however, were observed between IP policy developed centrally and IP implementation. Not all areas were willing and/or able to follow Home Office guidelines, and there were few innovations in IP schemes. 14 references and 4 figures