Levels of innovation in the criminal justice system have been relatively low. The article considers barriers to innovation specific to sentencing programs and policy that result from low tolerance for risk and lack of agreement regarding goals and accountability. It then considers strategies for overcoming those barriers through management of the political environment using public education and negotiation. Additionally, the article presents three examples of innovations that successfully managed their environments: Minnesota's in community sanctions, New York City's Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services and Georgia's intermediate sanctions programs. Risk, goals, accountability and ongoing communication are all worthy of attention. However, innovators need not come up with sophisticated strategies that encompass all of the aspects to launch and protect innovations from the risk of failure. Professionals can begin by doing something in any one of the areas and move toward a more holistic strategy over time. References