U.S. Department of Justice, Office Of Justice Programs, Innovation - Partnerships - Safer Neighborhoods
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Serving Children, Families, and Communities
OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book logo jump over products navigation bar
OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book logoAbout SSBFrequently Asked QuestionsPublicationsData Analysis ToolsNational Data SetsOther ResourcesAsk a Question

Juvenile Population Characteristics
Juveniles as Victims
Juveniles as Offenders
Juvenile Justice System Structure & Process
Law Enforcement & Juvenile Crime
Juveniles in Court
Juveniles on Probation
Juveniles in Corrections
Juvenile Reentry & Aftercare
Special Topics
Data Snapshot
Statistical Briefing Book Home

OJJDP logo

Printer-priendlyPrinter-friendly
Racial and Ethnic Fairness
While residential placement rates declined for all race/ethnicity groups since 1997, the placement rate for Black, American Indian, and Hispanic youth remained higher than the rate for white youth.
The residential placement rate is the number of youth in residential placement on the CJRP reference date per 100,000 youth age 10 through the upper age of original juvenile court jurisdiction. Rates exclude youth in tribal facilities.

*American Indian includes Alaskan Natives; Asian includes Pacific Islanders. Until 2006, the CJRP collected 6 detailed race/ethnicity categories (White, Black, Hispanic, American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander) and "other." In 2006, the CJRP data collection form replaced the "other" category with "Two or more Races" (labeled here as "more than one race"). Rates for the "more than one race" category are only displayed for 2010-present.

The ratio of rates is created by dividing the rates for each racial or ethnic minority group by the white rate. A ratio of 1.0 indicates parity, i.e., the rates for the comparison group are equal. For example, if white youth and Black youth were placed at the same rate, the ratio would be 1.0, indicating the rates for these groups are equal. A ratio greater than 1.0 means that the rate for the racial or ethnic minority group is greater than the rate for white youth. A ratio less than 1.0 means that the rate for the racial and ethnic minority group is less than the rate for white youth.

[ Text only ]  [ CSV file ]

    The COVID-19 pandemic, which began March 2020, had significant effects on all stages of the juvenile justice system, including juvenile residential facilities, and may have impacted multiple aspects of the 2021 CJRP data, such as reporting and the number of youth in residential placement.

  • Since 2010, the residential placement rate declined the most for Hispanic youth (75%) and Asian youth (74%), followed by more than one race (70%), Black (65%), white (63%), and American Indian (58%) youth.
  • Despite these declines, the placement rates for Black, American Indian, and Hispanic youth were higher than the rate for white youth. In 2021, the residential placement rate for Black youth was nearly 5 times the rate for white youth, the rate for American Indian youth was nearly 4 times that of white youth, and the rate for Hispanic youth was about 1.2 times the rate for white youth.


    • See also: State-level residential placement rates by race.

Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: https://www.ojjdp.gov/ojstatbb/special_topics/qa11801.asp?qaDate=2021. Released on August 28, 2023.

Data Source: Analysis of the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's. Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement data files for the years 1997, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2010, 2011, 2013, 2015, 2017, 2019, and 2021.

 

USA.gov | Privacy | Policies & Disclaimers | FOIA | Site Map | Ask a Question | OJJDP Home
A component of the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice