The analysis considered 82 custodial sentences imposed on juvenile offenders aged 17 and under in Greater Manchester courts between November 1989 and April 1990. Results indicated that Greater Manchester uses incarceration at a much higher rate than other jurisdictions, although the number of custodial sentences has declined along with national trends. Among the 82 cases, more than 70 percent were living in the community with their parents or with the support of social service departments prior to sentencing. Forty-two were in school, and 37 of these had poor attendance records. More than 70 percent of those who had left school were unemployed and were therefore not eligible for income support. The unemployed youths had higher levels of previous convictions, were more likely to have committed offenses alone, and had often been incarcerated before. Forty percent of those on which such data were available had never previously received a caution. Results demonstrated that the youths who were out of school or work were not involved in constructive activities in the community or with institutions or organizations that might lead to increased opportunities. Figures and appended tables and case examples