Under juvenile sentencing guidelines, Delaware's Family Court adjudicates delinquent youth using a graduated range of sanctions: loss of freedom in a Level V secure facility; Level IV programs, 24-hour residential programs, most contracted to outside providers, focusing on the most appropriate rehabilitation as determined by the Youth Rehabilitative Services classification process; and Level III, either community-based rehabilitative residential programs or intensive community based rehabilitative services, all contracted to outside service providers. Recidivism is defined as a post-release felony arrest. Recidivism results are comprehensive in that they cover 4 years of juvenile offender movements and because of the level of detail used in determining recidivism patterns. The search for arrests continued beyond subjects' 18th birthday into their young adult years. The study does not claim that Delaware's procedures optimized the use of the graduated sanction system or identified the best mix of programs. Tables, figures