The pursuit of alternatives to custody has developed rapidly since the 1970's, and most empirical research has focused on the relative effectiveness of alternatives to custodial sentencing, with recidivism being almost always used as the primary measure of effectiveness. Criticisms of alternatives to custody focus on whether a particular sanction is really an alternative to a custodial sentence and whether an alternative sanction is more effective than a custodial sentence. Research on the use of alternative sanctions is reported, especially studies of the effectiveness of treatment programs for juvenile offenders. Future areas of research on community-based sanctions are noted. 43 references and 4 notes