This data snapshot reports trend data on the number of juveniles in residential placement for the years 1997 - 2013; the juvenile placement rate by state for the years 2006 - 2013; youth placements by race/ethnicity, gender, and age for 2013; and the percentage of youth in placement in 2013 by offense type.
The total number of juveniles in residential placement declined 50 percent between 1999 and 2013. Data on juvenile placements for this period are also distinguished for those committed after case disposition and those detained while awaiting disposition. Juvenile placement rates declined in every state from 2006 to 2013, with nine states cutting their rates by half or more. This report presents a color-coded map that shows whether each state's decline in placements was 50 percent or greater, 40-49 percent, 25-39 percent, or less than 25 percent. Minority youth (Black, Hispanic, and other) accounted for 68 percent of youth in residential placement in 2013. Despite declines, the placement rate for minority youth was 2.7 times that of white youth in 2013. Male youth composed 86 percent of the placements. Youth ages 16-20 composed 69 percent of the youth in placement. The rest were 15 years old or younger. Of the juveniles in placement in 2013, 37 percent were held for a person offense, 24 percent for a property offense, 17 percent for a technical violation, 11 percent for public order offenses, 6 percent for drug offenses, and 5 percent for status offenses. 5 figures