THE NEW METHOD ALLOWS A MORE ACCURATE DESCRIPTION OF PROGRAMS BY RATING THEM ON A CONTINUUM BETWEEN THE IDEAL EXTREMES OF A TOTAL INSTITUTION AND A NORMALIZED SETTING WHICH RESEMBLES A FAMILY SETTING WHERE YOUTH HAVE OPEN ACCESS TO THE COMMUNITY WITH APPROPRIATE CONTROLS BEING EXERCISED BY PARENTS. THE DIMENSIONS OF SOCIAL CLIMATE, THE EXTENT OF COMMUNITY LINKAGE, AND NATURE OF COMMUNITY LINKAGE ARE IDENTIFIED ON THE CONTINUUM. THE SOCIAL CLIMATE IS THE NATURE AND QUALITY OF RELATIONSHIPS AMONG YOUTH AND BETWEEN YOUTH AND STAFF. THE EXTENT OF COMMUNITY LINKAGE IS MEASURED THROUGH THE SUBDIMENSIONS OF FREQUENCY OF YOUTH CONTACTS WITH PEOPLE OUTSIDE AND OF THE DURATION OF SUCH CONTACTS. THE QUALITY OF COMMUNITY LINKAGE IS MEASURED THROUGH THE SUBDIMENSIONS OF COUMMUNICATION BETWEEN YOUTHS AND THE COMMUNITY. EMPIRICAL DOCUMENTATION OF THE CONTINUUM WAS OBTAINED PRIMARILY THROUGH DATA FROM INTERVIEWS WITH 570 YOUTHS AS THEY MOVED THROUGH VARIOUS PROGRAMS OF THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF YOUTH SERVICES, AND WITH 22 PROGRAM STAFF MEMBERS. THE YOUTHS WERE INTERVIEWED 3 MONTHS AFTER BEGINNING A PROGRAM OR UPON LEAVING A PROGRAM AT AN EARLIER TIME. AN INDEPTH, CROSS-SECTIONAL SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED ON 24 OF THE 132 PROGRAMS INVOLVED. AS A RESULT, SUBSTANTIAL DIFFERENCES WERE FOUND WITHIN THE CATEGORY OF NON-RESIDENTIAL PROGRAMS, WITHIN THAT OF GROUP HOMES, AND OTHERS. FURTHERMORE, THE STUDY REVEALED A NUMBER OF CHARACTERISTICS OF YOUTH PLACEMENT, SUCH AS THE PLACEMENT OF THE MOST DISADVANTAGED YOUTHS IN THE MOST HELPFUL PROGRAMS AND PLACEMENT OF BLACK YOUTHS IN EITHER THE MOST OPEN NON-RESIDENTIAL SETTINGS OR IN THE SECURE FACILITIES, RATHER THAN IN GROUP HOMES, FORESTRY, OR BOARDING SCHOOL SETTINGS. OTHER RESULTS ARE DESCRIBED, AND PROGRAM RATING METHODS, QUESTIONNAIRES, STATISTICAL TABLES, AND FOOTNOTES ARE PROVIDED.