BECAUSE OF THE PRESSURES AND LIMITATIONS ON THE COUNSELING RELATIONSHIP THAT ARE BUILT INTO THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM, IT WAS THE PURPOSE OF THIS DOCTORAL STUDY WAS DESIGNED TO EVALUATE AN ALTERNATIVE TO THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM WHICH MINIMIZES THE LENGTH OF TIME BETWEEN APPREHENSION AND COUNSELING, MINIMIZES THE STIGMATIZING EFFECT OF THE SYSTEM, AND LEAVES THE COUNSELOR FREE TO FUNCTION AS AN AGENT OF THE CLIENT RATHER THAN AS AN AGENT OF THE BUREAUCRACY. THE ALTERNATIVE INVESTIGATED WAS THE BELL GARDENS YOUTH SERVICES CENTER (YSC). THE PURPOSE WAS ALSO TO DETERMINE WHETHER THE PROVISION OF COUNSELING SERVICES TO JUVENILE OFFENDERS IN A PROGRAM WHICH IS CHARACTERIZED BY (1) IMPROVED COUNSELING RESPONSE TIME, (2) A DECREASE IN THE STIGMATIZING EFFECTS OF THE JUVENILE PROCESSING PROCEDURE, AND (3) A DECREASE IN THE BUREAUCRATIC RESTRAINTS THAT AFFECT THE COUNSELING RELATIONSHIPS WOULD RESULT IN A SIGNIFICANT DECREASE IN THE JUVENILE CRIME RATE. FIRST, AN INTRODUCTION TO THE PURPOSE, PARAMETERS, AND JUSTIFICATION FOR THE STUDY IS PRESENTED. THE STUDY FORMAT IS OUTLINED, AND TERMS ARE DEFINED. A LITERATURE REVIEW IF PRESENTED EMPHASIZING EVALUATION, DIVERSION, AND COUSELING OF THE JUVENILE DELINQUENT. THE REVIEW IS FOLLOWED BY A DESCRIPTION OF THE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY, THE DEVELOPMENT OF CRITERIA VARIABLES, THE DELINEATION OF HYPOTHESES, AND THE HYPOTHESIS TESTING PROCEDURE ARE EXAMINED. THE RESULTS OF THE TESTING PROCEDURE ARE THEN PRESENTED. BASED ON THESE FINDINGS, IT IS CONCLUDED THAT THE YSC WAS ABLE TO YIELD SIGNIFICANT DECREASES IN JUVENILE CRIME AND DIVERSION WHEN COMPARED WITH CITIES THAT DID NOT HAVE SUCH A SPECIAL PROGRAM. THIS STUDY DEMONSTRATED THAT THROUGH THE USE OF AN ALTERNATIVE VEHICLE FOR THE PROVISION OF COUNSELING SERVICES TO THE JUVENILE OFFENDER, IT IS POSSIBLE TO SIGNIFICANTLY DECREASE JUVENILE CRIME WHILE KEEPING COSTS IN LINE WITH THE EXISTING SYSTEM. RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CHANGE WITHIN THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM AND FOR FUTURE RESEARCH ARE GIVEN. TABULAR AND GRAPHIC DATA ARE INCLUDED, AND REFERENCES ARE NOTED. A DESCRIPTION OF THE ADMINISTRATION AND ORGANIZATION OF THE YSC IS APPENDED. (KBL)