The issues examined regarding the deinstitutionalization of the target groups are (1) the relative effectiveness of different placements and appropriate criteria for judging effectiveness; (2) arrangements needed for effective community-based programs; and (3) the influence of clients, family members, and the larger community on each other and on deinstitutionalization efforts. Overview and summary articles tie together the theoretical and empirical findings for all three groups and attempt to place them in a larger social and historical context. The opening essay provides a critical overview of the ostensible goals of deinstitutionalization in mental health and criminal justice. Three articles that evaluate the relative effectiveness of institutions and their alternatives for each group all emphasize deficiencies in research on the effectiveness of deinstitutionalization and community-based approaches. An evaluation of the relative effectiveness of institutional and community-based programs for juvenile and adult offenders also concludes that knowledge about the relative effectiveness is insufficient, it suggests that political factors, rather than empirical evidence, have led to the abandonment of rehabilitation goals in favor of punishment and retribution in public policy. The concluding article compares the ideology of deinstitutionalization and its practice across the three populations. References and appropriate tabular data accompany each article. (Editor summary modified)