Statistical Briefing Book > Juveniles in Corrections Previous Page
Facility Practices and Services
Q: Suicide Risk: When are youth in residential placement facilities evaluated for suicide risk?
A: More than 8 in 10 (86%) facilities reported evaluating youth for suicide risk within 24 hours of admission in 2020.

When facilities evaluate youth for suicide risk, by facility operation and facility type, 2020

Total
facilities
Reporting
facilities
Within
24 hours
Between 24
hours and
1 week
More than
1 week
Other Not
evaluated
Total 1,323 1,274 86% 5% 1% 5% 4%

Facility operation
Public 838 818 90% 2% 1% 6% 1%
  State 317 311 91% 2% 1% 6% 1%
  Local 521 507 89% 2% 0% 7% 2%
Private 485 456 79% 10% 0% 4% 7%

Facility type1
Detention center 599 583 90% 2% 0% 8% 1%
Long-term secure 136 133 89% 2% 2% 5% 2%
Reception/diagnostic center 28 25 92% 0% 4% 0% 4%
Group home 219 211 73% 9% 2% 4% 12%
Residential treatment center 452 433 83% 8% 1% 5% 3%
Ranch/wilderness camp 22 22 91% 0% 0% 0% 9%
Shelter 82 81 86% 4% 0% 4% 6%

Notes: The term ‘youth’ refers to persons under age 21 who were in a facility because they were charged with or adjudicated for an offense.

Counts include evaluations conducted either on or offsite the facility location.

Respondents are allowed to select more than one time period in which they evaluate youth. From these responses, a hierarchy is imposed to reflect the earliest time period that the facility reported. For example, a facility that selected 'within 24 hours' as well as 'between 24 hours and 1 week' will appear as a facility that evaluated 'within 24 hours'.

Percent based on number of reporting facilities.

1 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.

  • A larger proportion of public facilities (90%) than private facilities (79%) reported evaluating youth for suicide risk within 24 hours in 2020. The proportion of state (91%) and locally-operated (89%) facilities that reported evaluating youth for suicide risk was about the same.
  • Detention centers (90%), reception/diagnostic centers (92%), and ranch/wilderness camps (91%) were most likely to report evaluating youth for suicide risk within 24 hours of admission.

Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: https://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/corrections/qa08551.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.