STUDIES TO DATA HAVE CONCLUDED THAT COMMUNITY CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES DO NO WORSE THAN TRADITIONAL INSTITUTIONS IN TERMS OF PREVENTING RECIDIVISM, THAT THEIR COSTS ARE LOWER, AND, THEREFORE, THAT THEY ARE A MORE COST-EFFECTIVE ALTERNATIVE. SUCH STUDIES HAVE GENERALLY CONSIDERED ONLY INPUT COSTS (FOOD, CLOTHING, FACILITY EXPENSE, SOCIAL SERVICES, AND SUCH). A METHOD OF MEASURING THE COSTS OF VARIOUS TYPES OF RECIDIVISM TO DETERMINE THE TRUE COST OF RECIDIVISM RATES IS PRESENTED; IT ASSIGNS WEIGHTS TO SERIOUSNESS OF CRIME COMMITTED. COSTS ARE ALSO COMPARED FOR VARIOUS LENGTHS OF STAY. USING THIS METHOD, SIX COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS FACILITIES, SIX PROBATION PROGRAMS. EIGHT JUVENILE RESIDENTIAL FACILITIES, AND THREE ADULT AND TWO JUVENILE CORRECTIONAL FACILITIES WERE COMPARED. RESULTS SHOWED THAT FOR CLIENTS WHO HAVE NEVER BEEN INSTITUTIONALIZED, PROBATION APPEARS MORE COST EFFECTIVE THAN EITHER COMMUNITY-BASED TREATMENT OR INSTITUTIONALIZATION FOR ALL FIVE RECIDIVISM MEASURES USED. THIS HOLDS TRUE FOR THE SHORT RUN, THE VERY SHORT RUN, AND THE LONG RUN. FOR JUVENILES, INSTITUTIONAL PLACEMENT IS MORE COST EFFECTIVE IN THE VERY SHORT RUN, BUT COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS ARE MORE COST EFFECTIVE OVER LONGER PERIODS OF TIME, ESPECIALLY FOR STATUS OFFENDERS. FOR SERIOUS JUVENILE OFFENDERS, A MIX OF INSTITUTIONALIZATION PLUS LONG-TERM PAROLE SEEMS MOST COST EFFECTIVE. THESE FINDINGS CAST DOUBT ON USING COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS AS AN ALTERNATIVE TO PROBATION AND ON CONSTRUCTION OF NEW JUVENILE DETENTION FACILITIES. APPENDIXES DETAIL METHODOLOGY USED AND VARIABLES WHICH SHOULD BE INCLUDED IN THE EVALUATION OF CORRECTIONS ALTERNATIVES.