Resident population held in public vs. private juvenile facilities, 1995

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Working for Youth Justice and Safety

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Custody Data (1995 & before)

Q:	Compared with private facilities, were more juveniles in public facilities held for law violations in 1995?
A:	Most juveniles in public custody are held for law violations as part of a court-ordered disposition while 4 in 10 juveniles in private facilities are not offenders.

	Public	Private
Total	69,075	39,671
	100%	100%

Law violation	99%	59%
Delinquency	96	45
Status	3	14
Nonoffenders	1	41

[ Excel file ]

The private facility population included a significant number of youth referred for abuse, neglect, emotional disturbance, or mental retardation as well as youth who were voluntarily admitted (referred by parents or school officials or as part of a diversion program). These nonoffenders were 41% of the private facility custody population.
The majority of offenders in public custody were committed to the facility as part of a court-ordered disposition (65%). The remaining 35% were being detained prior to adjudication or after adjudication while awaiting disposition or placement.
The vast majority of offenders in private custody were committed to the facility as part of a court-ordered disposition (91%). Juveniles who were detained prior to adjudication or after adjudication while awaiting disposition or placement made up the remaining 9% of offenders in private custody.

Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: http://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/corrections/qa08102.asp?qaDate=19990930. Released on September 30, 1999.

Adapted from Sickmund, M., Snyder, H., and Poe-Yamagata, E. Juvenile Offenders and Victims: 1997 Update on Violence. [HTML File] or [Adobe Acrobat File].

Data Source: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Children in Custody Census of Public and Private Juvenile Detention, Correctional, and Shelter Facilities 1994/95 [machine-readable data files]. Washington, D.C.: Bureau of the Census, 1996.