Evidence confirmed that a decline in the use of intermediate imprisonment coincided with a growth in the use of suspended sentences. Some of this decline was temporary, as orders were breached and prison sentences were activated. The net effect, however, was a decline in the use of imprisonment. Judges and magistrates used imprisonment less in 1991 than they did in 1985. Prison sentences in magistrate courts were about 33 percent lower in 1991 than in the mid-1980's, while higher court prison sentences were about 25 percent lower. A lagged increase in the prison population was achieved by a combination of factors: short operational periods, low breach rate, and extensive use of discretion in resentencing. It is concluded that the apparent success of suspended sentences is largely invisible in the public debate and its place in the range of sentencing options is largely unacknowledged. 18 references, 15 notes, and 8 tables