U.S. Department of Justice

Office of Justice Programs

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

OFF ICE OF JUSTICE PROGRAMS

BJA NI J OJJDP BJS OVC

Shay Bilchik, Administrator November 1997 #69

States at a Glance:

Juveniles in Public Facilities, 1995

by Joseph Moone

On February 15, 1995, public juvenile facilities held

69,075 juveniles in residential custody

Public juvenile facilities include secure and nonsecure facilities

used to hold pre- and postadjudicated individuals under the

jurisdiction of the juvenile court. Just under 96 percent (66,236)

of juveniles in public residential facilities were held for delinquent offenses, that is, offenses that would also be illegal if

committed by an adult. A small number were held for status

offenses, that is, offenses that are not illegal for individuals who

have reached the age of majority or another age established by

law. Status offenses include truancy, running away, possession of

alcohol, and ungovernability. Only about 1 percent of juveniles in

public facilities were placed in custody for other reasons, including dependency or neglect.

Within a State, whether a juvenile is subject to juvenile court

jurisdiction may vary, depending on the specific offense with

which the juvenile is charged. Some States also rely more heavily

on private facilities, including facilities in other States, than

others. Under California law, the California juvenile corrections

system can hold offenders adjudicated in juvenile court much

longer than other States’ systems. In Connecticut, New York, and

North Carolina, 16- and 17-year-olds are not subject to a juvenile

court’s delinquency jurisdiction. Ten other States set the maximum age for juvenile court jurisdiction at 16.

The average State juvenile custody population in

public facilities was 1,351

Considering the average population by State further illustrates the

distribution of juveniles in custody in public facilities. The 15

States with larger than average juvenile custody populations

accounted for 74 percent (51,145) of the overall population.

Other indicators also show the asymmetry of the national juvenile

custody population. The median custody population in juvenile

facilities by State was 715. Only 12 percent of the juvenile

custody population was found in States with populations below

the median. Juvenile custody populations ranged from a low of

24 (Vermont) to a high of 19,567 (California).

Most of the juveniles in custody in public facilities

were held for delinquent offenses

Only eight States (Tennessee, Montana, South Dakota, Missouri,

Utah, Indiana, Hawaii, and Iowa) and the District of Columbia

had a juvenile custody population that was less than 90 percent

delinquent offenders. Nine States (Delaware, Florida, Idaho,

Maine, New Hampshire, Oregon, Rhode Island, Vermont, and

West Virginia) held only delinquent offenders in public facilities.

Nationally, about 96 percent of the juveniles in public facilities

were in custody for a delinquent offense.

Two-thirds of the remainder of the population in these facilities

was made up of status offenders, with the balance being

Six States held half of all juveniles in custody in

public facilities

The aggregate juvenile custody population of a handful of States

surpassed that of the remaining States. On February 15, 1995,

California, Ohio, Texas, New York, Florida, and Illinois together

held 50.4 percent (34,800) of the juveniles in custody in public

facilities. California had the highest number of juveniles in

custody in public facilities—19,567 (28 percent). The number of

juveniles in custody is affected by differences in State laws,

policies, and practices. For instance, the upper age of original or

extended jurisdiction for juvenile court differs among the States.

Nearly 96 percent of juveniles in public facilities nationally were there because of a delinquent offense

Offense Type Total Juveniles Percent

Total 69,075 100.0

Delinquent 66,236 95.9

Status 1,785 2.6

Other 889 1.3

Unknown* 165 0.2

*The responding agency was unable to classify these juveniles.
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nonoffenders such as abused and neglected children. Nationally,

only 2.6 percent of the juveniles in public facilities were there for

status offenses such as running away, truancy, or liquor law

violations associated with age. States with the largest percentage

of status offenders in public facilities included Indiana (13.7

percent), Iowa (12.8 percent), Missouri (12.6 percent), and South

Dakota (11.5 percent). Only a small number of juveniles were held

in public facilities for nonoffenses such as dependency or neglect.

Hawaii (17.8 percent) and Iowa (15.2 percent) held the largest

percentages. Nineteen States did not hold any nonoffenders in their

public facilities.

This information comes from the 1995 Census of

Juvenile Detention, Correctional, and Shelter

Facilities

Since 1971, the U.S. Department of Justice has conducted a

biennial census of facilities that hold juveniles who have committed an offense. Each facility is requested to provide information

on the number of juveniles held and the reason for custody. To

allow for comparisons between censuses, the reference date for

each biennial census is February 15.

Joseph Moone serves as Social Science Program Specialist in the

Research and Program Development Division of OJJDP.

Juveniles in Public Facilities, by State: February 15, 1995

Total Total Total Total

Population Delinquent Status Other

Offenders

United States 68,910 66,236 1,785 889

Alabama 908 882 22 4

Alaska 223 222 1 0

Arizona 1,083 1,066 11 6

Arkansas 275 274 0 1

California 19,567 19,395 46 126

Colorado 776 771 5 0

Connecticut 371 366 5 0

Delaware 164 164 0 0

District of Columbia 251 211 23 17

Florida 2,674 2,674 0 0

Georgia 2,337 2,240 81 16

Hawaii 101 73 10 18

Idaho 154 154 0 0

Illinois 2,641 2,620 19 2

Indiana 1,704 1,416 233 55

Iowa 461 332 59 70

Kansas 808 787 14 7

Kentucky 593 561 25 7

Louisiana 1,509 1,484 7 18

Maine 369 369 0 0

Maryland 715 713 2 0

Massachusetts 331 307 20 4

Michigan 1,778 1,673 87 18

Minnesota 803 724 62 17

Mississippi 641 590 21 30

Missouri 1,037 901 131 5

Montana 140 125 4 11

Nebraska 419 415 4 0

Nevada 660 633 27 0

New Hampshire 125 125 0 0

New Jersey 1,999 1,900 46 53

New Mexico 662 650 9 3

New York 2,862 2,711 151 0

North Carolina 1,051 1,028 15 8

North Dakota 97 96 1 0

Ohio 3,551 3,245 242 64

Oklahoma 392 371 8 13

Oregon 902 902 0 0

Pennsylvania 1,487 1,407 54 26

Rhode Island 155 155 0 0

South Carolina 1,062 1,031 24 7

South Dakota 261 231 30 0

Tennessee 974 870 44 60

Texas 3,505 3,374 32 99

Utah 465 395 31 39

Vermont 24 24 0 0

Virginia 2,211 2,042 106 63

Washington 1,870 1,850 7 13

West Virginia 148 148 0 0

Wisconsin 1,450 1,385 56 9

Wyoming 164 154 10 0

FS–9769

FS–9769 Fact Sheet