This data report on juveniles in residential placement in the United States in 2019 addresses placement policies, placement trends, offender demographics, and types of offenders.
Between 1997 and 2019, the number of youth in residential placement decreased 65 percent to 36,479, its lowest level since the data collection began in 1997, when 105,055 youth were held in out-of- home placement. The decrease in the number of youth held for an offense in public facilities was slightly less than the decrease in the number held in private facilities during the same period (decrease of 64 percent and 68 percent, respectively). The number of public facilities decreased 18 percent between 1997 and 2019, compared with 65 percent for private facilities. Of youth held for an offense in residential placement in 2019, 96 percent were held for a delinquency offense and 4 percent were held for a status offense. Thirty-seven percent were held for a person offense. Females composed 15 percent of youth held and they were slightly younger than males. Black youth accounted for the largest share of youth in placement for an offense In 2019 (41 percent). In 2019, 26 percent of youth in placement for an offense were held in private facilities, which composed 40 percent of facilities holding youth for an offense. In 2019, 58 percent of youth held for an offense in residential placement were committed to the facility as part of a court-ordered disposition; the remaining youth were detained pending adjudication, disposition, placement elsewhere, or were in the facility as part of a diversion agreement. Extensive tables and figures