Facility capacity by facility operation, facility size, and facility type, 2020

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Serving Children, Families, and Communities

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Facility Characteristics

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Q:	How many juvenile residential facilities operate at or above capacity?
A:	Fewer than 1 in 6 (15%) facilities reported operating at or over capacity in 2020.

Facility capacity by facility operation, facility size, and facility type, 2020

	Total facilities	Under capacity	At capacity	Over capacity	Percent of youth¹ in over capacity facilities
Total	1,323	85%	14%	1%	2%

Facility operation
Public	838	88%	11%	1%	2%
State	317	88%	11%	1%	2%
Local	521	88%	11%	1%	1%
Private	485	80%	19%	1%	2%

Facility size
1 to 10 residents	539	84%	15%	1%	1%
11 to 20 residents	361	84%	15%	0%	0%
21 to 50 residents	301	90%	8%	2%	2%
51 to 100 residents	78	83%	12%	5%	4%
101 to 200 residents	39	74%	23%	3%	3%
201+ residents	5	40%	60%	0%	0%

Facility type²
Detention center	599	88%	11%	1%	1%
Long-term secure	136	88%	10%	2%	3%
Reception/diagnostic center	28	89%	11%	0%	0%
Group home	219	79%	20%	1%	1%
Residential treatment center	452	83%	16%	1%	2%
Ranch/wilderness camp	22	82%	18%	0%	0%
Shelter	82	80%	20%	0%	0%

Notes: Facilities reported both the number of standard beds and the number of makeshift beds they had occupied on the census date. Crowding occurs when the number of residents occupying all or part of a facility exceeds some predetermined limit based on square footage, utility use, or even fire codes and when the use of makeshift beds is subsequently required.

¹ Only includes youth charged with or adjudicated for law violations.

² Facility type counts sum to more than the total number of facilities because facilities could select more than one facility type.

The COVID-19 pandemic had significant effects on all stages of the juvenile justice system, including juvenile residential facilities, which may have impacted multiple aspects of the 2020 JRFC data, such as reporting, the number of youth in residential placement, and the services received.

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In 2020, 2% of youth in residential placement were held in facilities that were operating above capacity.
Private facilities (20%) were more likely than public facilities (12%) to report operating either at or over capacity.
Facilities holding between 51 and 100 residents (5%) were the most likely to report operating above capacity in 2020.
Long-term secure facilities (2%), detention centers, group homes, and residential treatment facilities (1% each) reported operating above capacity in 2020. Group homes and shelters (20% each) were most likely to report operating at capacity in 2020.

Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: https://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/corrections/qa08522.asp?qaDate=2020. Released on January 10, 2023.

Data Source: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Authors' analysis of Juvenile Residential Facility Census 2020 [machine-readable data files]. Washington, D.C.: OJJDP.