Juveniles younger than 16 accounted for 54% of the cases that involved detention in 1997, while those younger than 14 accounted for 14% (table 24). The age profile for detention cases changed only slightly between 1988 and 1997. The proportion of detained cases involving juveniles younger than 16 was about the same in 1997 (54%) as in 1988 (53%).

In 1997, detention was used more frequently for older juveniles than for younger juveniles. Detention was used in 13% of delinquency cases involving 12-year-olds, 19% of cases involving 14-year-olds, 20% of cases involving 15-year-olds, and 21% of cases involving youth ages 16 or 17 (table 25). In general, the likelihood of detention increased for each successive age group through age 15 across all offense categories. However, for all offense categories, the likelihood of detention was the same for cases involving 16- and 17-year-olds.