This partnership aimed to develop a transitional service center in which university personnel and community members worked with paroled youth in mentoring and community service projects. Study information came from interviews, surveys, participant observations, and record reviews for the process evaluation of program implementation. The analysis of the competing goals and implementation struggles in this case were used to consider the validity of conflicting positive and negative perspectives on criminal justice partnerships. Results of the multilevel analysis revealed the innovations and limitations of a partnership approach. Findings indicated that full understanding of both the potential and the pitfalls of partnership models requires consideration of the structural, organizational, and interactional levels of a project’s emergence and implementation. 63 references (Author abstract modified)