Status offense cases were much less likely to involve detention than were delinquency cases. In 6% of the formally processed status offense cases disposed by juvenile courts in 1996, the juvenile was held in a detention facility at some point between referral to court and case disposition (table 52). Juveniles were detained in 10% of runaway cases, 7% of ungovernability cases, 6% of status liquor law violations, and 2% of cases involving truancy charges. Of the estimated 9,600 petitioned status offense cases that involved detention in 1996, liquor law violation cases and runaway cases made up the greatest proportions (table 53).

The number of formal status offense cases that involved detention was 25% greater in 1996 than in 1992, but 14% lower than the number of detention cases in 1987 (table 54). Although the number of cases involving detention has declined within most status offense categories since 1987, it has substantially increased in the liquor and miscellaneous categories.