TWENTIETH CENTURY GERMAN JUVENILE LAWS HAVE TENDED TO FAVOR PEDAGOGICAL MEASURES OVER PUNISHMENT, BUT SUCH MEASURES HVE RARELY BEEN APPLIED IN PRACTICE; ATTEMPTS AT THOROUGH REFORM AND MODIFICATION OF AGE LIMITS FOR APPLICABILITY OF JUVENILE LAWS HAVE FAILED. THE BRUECKE PROJECT, WHICH WAS BEGUN IN 1978, SUBSTITUTES COMMUNITY WORK IN LIEU OF FINES AND DETENTION FOR JUVENILE OFFENDERS CONVICTED OF MINOR CRIMES. PROBATION FOR 6 MONTHS, WITHOUT THE PRESSURE OF POSSIBLE REVOCATION, IS SUPERVISED BY FIVE BRUECKE SOCIAL WORKERS. RESEARCH PLANNED IN CONNECTION WITH THE PROJECT RELATES TO JUDGES' AND PROSECUTORS' REACTIONS, CHARACTERISTICS OF JUVENILE AND YOUNG ADULT OFFENDERS RECEIVING WORK PENALTIES. ALSO TO BE STUDIED ARE VARIATIONS IN JUDGES' SENTENCING PRACTICES, AND THEORIES UNDERLYING SENTENCING PRACTICES. THE EFFECTS OF COMMUNITY WORK AND IMPRISONMENT ON JUVENILES' LIFE STYLE AND WORK PERFORMANCE ARE TO BE COMPARED AND MEASURED BY RECIDIVISM STATISTICS. RESEARCH DATA IS TO DERIVE FROM SURVEY INTERVIEWS WITH PARTIES INVOLVED. PRELIMINARY ASSESSMENT OF THE PROJECTS' EFFECTS ON MUNICH JUVENILE COURT PRACTICES INDICATES A REDUCTION IN THE NUMBER OF IMPRISONMENT AND FINE SENTENCES, WITH A MARKED INCREASE (56.5 PERCENT) IN COMMUNITY SERVICE MEASURES AND A REDUCTION IN PAROLE AND PROBATION. NOTES AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE SUPPLIED. --IN GERMAN.