Residential placement rates by race/ethnicity, 1997-2019

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

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Racial and Ethnic Fairness

While residential placement rates declined for all race groups since 1997, the placement rates 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.

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.

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Between 1997 and 2019, the residential placement rate declined the most for Asian youth (90%), followed by Hispanic (80%), Black (67%), white (64%), and American Indian (52%) youth.
Despite these declines, the placement rates for Black, American Indian, and Hispanic youth were higher than the rate for white youth. In 2019, the residential placement rate for Black youth was more than 4 times the rate for white youth, the rate for American Indian youth was more than 3 times that of white youth, and the rate for Hispanic youth was about 1.3 times the rate for white youth.

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=2019. Released on May 21, 2021.

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, and 2019.