When facilities evaluate youth for substance abuse problems, by facility operation and facility type, 2020

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

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Facility Practices and Services

Q:	Substance Abuse: When are youth in residential placement facilities evaluated for substance abuse problems?
A:	Nearly 8 in 10 (78%) facilities reported evaluating youth for substance abuse problems within one week of admission in 2020.

	Total facilities	Reporting facilities	Within 24 hours	Between 24 hours and 1 week	More than 1 week	Other	Not evaluated
Total	1,323	1,275	56%	22%	3%	4%	15%

Facility operation
Public	838	818	59%	19%	2%	4%	16%
State	317	311	62%	22%	4%	5%	8%
Local	521	507	57%	17%	1%	4%	21%
Private	485	457	53%	27%	4%	4%	12%

Facility type¹
Detention center	599	583	64%	13%	1%	4%	18%
Long-term secure	136	133	53%	35%	7%	2%	4%
Reception/diagnostic center	28	25	48%	36%	12%	0%	4%
Group home	219	212	40%	28%	6%	8%	18%
Residential treatment center	452	434	56%	27%	5%	3%	8%
Ranch/wilderness camp	22	22	27%	41%	14%	5%	14%
Shelter	82	81	48%	20%	2%	5%	25%

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.

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.

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A larger proportion of private facilities (80%) than public facilities (78%) reported evaluating youth for substance abuse problems within one week of admission in 2020, and a larger proportion of public facilities (59%) than private facilities (53%) reported evaluating youth within 24 hours.
Detention centers (64%) were most likely to report evaluating youth for substance abuse problems within 24 hours of admission in 2020.

Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: https://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/corrections/qa08561.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.