Percent change in the public custody facility population, 1983-1995

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

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Custody Data (1995 & before)

Q:	Did the number of juveniles held in public facilities increase substantially between 1983 and 1995?
A:	The one-day count of juveniles held in public facilities rose 47% from 1983 to 1995.

Public facility one-day count	Percent change 1983–1995

Total population	47	%
Law violation	48
Delinquency	52
Person	109
Violent Index	99
Property	-17
Drug	95
Public order	87
Status offense	-21

[ Excel file ]

The increase was not evenly distributed across all offense categories, however. The number of juveniles held for Violent Crime Index offenses doubled. The broader category of person offenses (that includes such offenses as simple assault and kidnapping as well as the Violent Crime Index offenses) more than doubled.
The categories of drug and public order offenses also saw large increases.
In contrast, there was a drop in juveniles held for property crimes and status offenses.

Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: http://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/corrections/qa08105.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.