Regarding the extent of juvenile crime in Finland, in 1982 juvenile offenders (15- to 20-year-olds) committed 26 percent of total crime; in 1991, they accounted for only 20 percent. Under the Finnish juvenile justice system, young offenders serve their sentences mainly in a juvenile prison. In an effort to curtail the use of prison for juveniles, "conciliation" was begun in the early 1980's. The purpose of conciliation is to seek alternatives to formal processing as a way of settling conflicts. Assumption of personal responsibility for the offenses and for the damage caused is emphasized in conciliation. Community service is a new penal sanction in Finland. It consists of a certain number of hours of regular unpaid work performed under supervision. Juvenile delinquency prevention efforts have focused on early intervention with juveniles who have problems in social adjustment. Efforts at such intervention, however, have become too bureaucratic and fail to monitor how the juvenile is responding to various efforts at resocialization. 2 figures, 5 tables, and a 20-item bibliography