Both the therapeutic community and positive peer culture concepts rest on the principles that patients are responsible for their behavior, that the positive peer group is the most effective mode of treatment, that the individual patient and the positive peer culture are held responsible for the treatment and management of the unit, and that the staff is responsible for creating and maintaining the positive peer culture by guiding its functioning. The Closed Adolescent Treatment Center, located in Denver, has refined its use of the therapeutic community model with violent delinquents over its 11 years of existence. The average recidivism rate to adult corrections for the unit is 33 percent, and given the severity of the youths' offense histories, this can be considered an effective program. The program uses multidimensional treatment, a team approach, a secure facility, and adequate treatment time. Such a program is clearly preferable to incarceration. Four references are listed. (Author summary modified)