The 1999 profile of residents in juvenile custody facilities was similar to the 1997 profile

Nearly 8 in 10 residents were juveniles held for delinquency offenses

The vast majority of residents in juvenile residential placement facilities on October 27, 1999, were juvenile offenders (81%). Juvenile offenders held for delinquency offenses accounted for 78% of all residents. Delinquency offenses are behaviors that would be criminal law violations for adults. Status offenders accounted for a small proportion of all residents (4%). Status offenses are behaviors that are not law violations for adults, such as running away, truancy, and incorrigibility. Some residents were held in the facility but were not charged with or adjudicated for an offense (e.g., youth referred for abuse, neglect, emotional disturbance, or mental retardation, or those referred by their parents). Together, these other residents and youth age 21 or older accounted for 19% of all residents. These proportions changed little between 1997 and 1999.

Two out of three facilities are private, but they hold fewer than one in three juvenile offenders

Private facilities are operated by private nonprofit or for-profit corporations or organizations; those who work in these facilities are employees of the private corporation or organization. State or local government agencies operate public facilities; those who work in these facilities are state or local government employees. Private facilities tend to be smaller than public facilities. Thus, although there are more private than public facilities nationwide, public facilities hold the majority of juvenile offenders on any given day. In 1999, private facilities accounted for 61% of facilities holding juvenile offenders; however, they held just 29% of juvenile offenders in residential placement on the census reference day.

Between 1997 and 1999, the number of public facilities and the number of private facilities holding juvenile offenders each increased 3%. Overall, there was also a 3% increase between 1997 and 1999 in the number of juvenile offenders in custody. Private facilities, however, experienced a disproportionate increase in their offender population (7%) compared with public facilities (1%).

Private facilities are an important custody resource

Private facilities hold a different population of offenders than do public facilities. Compared with public facilities, private facilities have a greater proportion of juveniles who have been committed to the facility by the court and a smaller proportion of juveniles who are detained (pending adjudication, disposition, or placement elsewhere).

Public facilities held most detained (85%) and most committed juveniles (68%). Private facilities, however, held the majority of juveniles who were in residential placement as part of a diversion agreement in lieu of adjudication (71%). In addition, although status offenders were only 10% of offenders in private facilities, 65% of status offenders in residential placement were held in private facilities.