PORT CLIENTS PROBATIONERS, AND PRISONERS IN RAMSEY COUNTY AND THE OLMSTEAD COUNTY REGION WERE SELECTED FOR THE STUDY AS WELL AS THE ANOKA COUNTY PRISON AND PROBATION POPULATION. RANDOM SAMPLES OF ADULT FELONY AND GROSS MISDEMEANOR CONVICTIONS WERE DRAWN FROM THE THREE COUNTY REGIONS AND DATA WERE COLLECTED ON OFFENDERS' CHARACTERISTICS, TYPES OF OFFENSES, USE OF PLEA BARGAINING, AND CORRECTIONAL STATUS. THREE STAGES OF ANALYSIS WERE CONDUCTED TO DETERMINE SENTENCING PATTERN DIFFERENTIATION FOR PROBATIONERS, INMATES, AND PORT CLIENTS ON THE BASIS OF OFFENDER CHARACTERISTICS, GROUP DISTINCTIVENESS BY OFFENDER CHARACTERISTICS, AND PROBABLE DISPOSITIONAL OUTCOMES FOR PORT CLIENTS HAD THE PORT PROGRAM NOT BEEN AVAILABLE. RESULTS SHOW THAT THE CONTROL PROBATION GROUP WAS CONVICTED OF MORE SERIOUS OFFENSES THAN EITHER OF THE PORT GROUPS AND THAT PORT CLIENTS HAVE MORE EXTENSIVE ADULT RECORDS THAN PROBATION OFFENDERS. INSTITUTIONALIZED OFFENDERS WERE CONVICTED OF MORE SERIOUS OFFENSES THAN THE PORT CLIENTS. THE PORT CLIENTELE WAS DISTINGUISHABLE FROM THE PROBATIONED AND INSTITUTIONALIZED GROUPS AS BEING A GROUP OF YOUNGER OFFENDERS WITH FAIRLY EXTENSIVE PRIOR RECORDS AND CURRENT OFFENSES OF MEDIUM SEVERITY. THE VAST MAJORITY OF PORT RESIDENTS (70 TO 80 PERCENT) WOULD PROBABLY BE ASSIGNED TO STRAIGHT PROBATION IF PORT DID NOT EXIST AS A SENTENCING ALTERNATIVE. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT THE PROJECT IS SERVING A DEFINITE PURPOSE OF PRESENTING AN ALTERNATIVE TO PROBATION RATHER THAN INSTITUTIONALIZATION, AND THAT COMMUNITY RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT IS THUS RESULTING IN A NET INCREASE IN THE SOCIAL CONTROL BEING EXERTED BY THE CORRECTIONAL SYSTEM. POLICY IMPLICATIONS AND TABULAR DATA ARE PRESENTED. (DAG)