In nearly all states, a disproportionate number of minorities were in residential placement in 1999

In 1999, minority youth accounted for 34% of the U.S. juvenile population and 62% of juveniles in custody
 
Minority proportion
 
Committed
State of offense
Juvenile population
Total CJRP
Detained
Public
Private
U.S. total
34%
62%
62%
66%
55%
Alabama
35
59
63
60
55
Alaska
34
56
*
52
*
Arizona
43
60
58
63
52
Arkansas
26
56
*
59
58
California
59
79
72
84
70
Colorado
27
54
51
60
51
Connecticut
25
77
78
82
63
Delaware
32
68
66
*
*
Dist. of Columbia
86
97
100
*
*
Florida
41
58
63
58
55
Georgia
41
66
65
67
66
Hawaii
75
91
*
*
*
Idaho
12
19
*
22
*
Illinois
35
69
75
70
53
Indiana
15
38
42
41
29
Iowa
7
25
23
27
26
Kansas
17
48
52
49
38
Kentucky
11
37
53
39
25
Louisiana
44
78
74
82
74
Maine
3
4
*
4
*
Maryland
40
70
61
73
75
Massachusetts
20
62
58
75
54
Michigan
23
55
54
47
60
Minnesota
12
45
52
46
41
Mississippi
47
73
74
73
*
Missouri
18%
41%
56%
37%
*
Montana
13
41
*
37
*
Nebraska
14
45
41
45
50
Nevada
37
49
49
50
*
New Hampshire
4
13
*
22
*
New Jersey
37
84
81
87
60
New Mexico
62
78
76
79
*
New York
41
70
81
76
58
North Carolina
34
63
68
69
36
North Dakota
11
39
*
*
34
Ohio
17
47
51
46
42
Oklahoma
26
48
42
54
44
Oregon
16
27
16
29
22
Pennsylvania
17
64
57
71
66
Rhode Island
18
55
*
68
38
South Carolina
40
67
78
67
65
South Dakota
16
42
*
43
*
Tennessee
24
50
39
53
42
Texas
52
74
74
74
74
Utah
12
27
30
28
25
Vermont
3
*
*
*
*
Virginia
32
63
63
63
67
Washington
22
41
42
40
*
West Virginia
5
22
18
*
25
Wisconsin
15
59
58
65
47
Wyoming
12
28
*
29
28
  • Minorities accounted for 66% of juveniles committed to public facilities nationwide—a proportion nearly twice their proportion of the juvenile population (34%).

  • In most states, minority proportions tended to be lower for youth committed to private rather than public facilities.

  • In six states and the District of Columbia, the minority proportion of the total population of juvenile offenders in residential placement was greater than 75%.

*Too few juveniles in category to calculate a reliable percentage.

Note: The juvenile population is the number of juveniles age 10 through the upper age of original juvenile court jurisdiction in each state. U.S. total includes 2,645 juvenile offenders in private facilities for whom state of offense was not reported and 174 juvenile offenders in tribal facilities. Minorities include blacks, Hispanics, American Indians, Asians/Pacific Islanders, and those identified as “other race.”

Source: Author’s analysis of OJJDP’s Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement 1999 [machine-readable data files].

Minority proportion of juveniles in residential placement
Minority proportion of juveniles in residential placement based on a U.S. Map

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Juveniles in Corrections OJJDP National Report Series Bulletin
June 2004