OJJDP conducted the CJRP for the first time on October 29, 1997. Each facility, secure or nonsecure, that holds or can hold alleged or adjudicated juvenile delinquent or status offenders was asked to complete a form that collected information on each juvenile offender in residence on that date. More than 94 percent of all facilities responded to the census.
The census determined that 125,805 youth resided in 1,121 public and 2,310 private residential facilities on October 29, 1997. Of these 3,431 public or private residential facilities, 2,844 had at least one juvenile who met the four criteria for inclusion in CJRP's person-level reporting section. Of the residents in these facilities, 105,790 (84 percent) were under the age of 21, assigned a bed in a facility, charged with or court-adjudicated for an offense, and placed at the facility because of the offense. (The remaining 16 percent were in such facilities for reasons other than an offense.)
On the census reference date, the majority of young offenders (72.2 percent) resided in 1,108 public facilities—those owned and operated exclusively by State or local government agencies. The remaining 27.8 percent resided in 1,736 private facilities—those owned and operated by nongovernmental organizations that provide services to juvenile offenders.
More minority than white offenders were in residential placement. Forty percent of the offenders were black; 37.5 percent were white; 18.5 percent were identified as Hispanic; and a small percentage were classified as American Indian (1.5 percent), Asian (1.8 percent), or Pacific Islander (0.3 percent).
The vast majority of offenders in custody (86.5 percent) were male; females made up less than 14 percent of the residential population. Females in custody were, on average, younger than males. The mean age of males in residential placement was 16, compared with 15.4 for females. Ten percent of females were age 13 or younger, compared with 6 percent of males; and 14 percent of males were ages 18-20, compared with 4 percent of females. The largest percentage of females (21 percent) were age 13, the smallest percentage (2.9 percent) were age 20.
Black males age 16 were the largest group of young offenders in residential placement, accounting for nearly 10 percent of the total. This group is followed in descending order by white males age 16, black males age 17, and white males age 17.
Most young offenders (42.4 percent) were in residential facilities for a serious personal or property offense. Nearly one-fourth were charged with or adjudicated for aggravated assault, violent sexual assault, kidnaping, or robbery. Approximately one-fifth were charged with or adjudicated for serious property offenses, including arson, auto theft, and burglary. Almost 2 percent were charged with or adjudicated for homicide or murder. Only 6.5 percent of youth in custody were charged with a status offense. Status offenses include running away, underage drinking, truancy, curfew violations, and other activities that are illegal for juveniles but not for adults. Classification of status offenses varies by State. For example, many States no longer consider running away an adjudicable offense. In these States, runaways would not be counted by the census. Only those juveniles who committed acts subject to juvenile court action were included for each State.
The juveniles in custody on the census date differed in their status in the justice system. Some were detained pending an initial or adjudicatory hearing. Others were detained after being adjudicated delinquent and pending placement elsewhere. Some were held pending action in the criminal court. The majority of juveniles in residential facilities on the census date, however, were in the facilities where they were serving their disposition.
Because the CJRP collected information on each offender in residential placement (including age, race, sex, and offense), it provides a more comprehensive base for analyzing this population than was provided by the earlier CIC Census. The significant changes in data collection methodology introduced in the CJRP, however, mean that direct comparisons between the CJRP and the CIC Census are dubious at best. Therefore, this chapter does not provide trend information on the number of youth in custody. OJJDP will publish a broad range of information based on CJRP data in the coming months.
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