AN OVERVIEW OF THE ENTIRE STATE JUDICIAL SYSTEM OPENS THE REPORT. THE ORGANIZATION OF THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM AND THE MOVEMENT OF YOUTHS THROUGH THE SYSTEM ARE DESCRIBED. RECENT (1977) TEXAS COURT DECISIONS AFFECTING THE JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM ARE REVIEWED. STATE STATISTICS ON JUVENILE COURT REFERRALS (PRIOR COURT REFERRALS AND ADJUDICATIONS, TYPE OF REFERRING AGENCY, FAMILY STATUS, RESIDENCE, SCHOOL STATUS, REASON FOR REFERRAL, AGE, RACE, SEX, LENGTH OF DETENTION) ARE PRESENTED AND ANALYZED. DETAILED STATISTICS ON JUVENILE COURT AND PROBATION AGENCY ACTIVITIES ARE PRESENTED FOR EACH COUNTY. OF THE 53,675 YOUTHS (71,598 REFERRALS) PROCESSED DURING 1977, 55 PERCENT HAD NO PRIOR CONTACT WITH JUVENILE AUTHORITIES. LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES WERE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE MAJORITY OF REFERRALS. IN 57 PERCENT OF THE REFERRALS, YOUTHS WERE LIVING WITH BOTH PARENTS; MORE THAN ONE-THIRD WERE LIVING WITH ONLY ONE PARENT. THE MAJORITY (77.4 PERCENT) WERE ATTENDING SCHOOL AT THE TIME OF REFERRAL, ALTHOUGH 15.3 PERCENT HAD DROPPED OUT. MALES ACCOUNTED FOR 75 PERCENT OF THE REFERRALS AND WERE MOST COMMONLY REFERRED FOR THEFT. FEMALES ACCOUNTED FOR 61 PERCENT OF RUNAWAY REFERRALS--THE ONLY CATEGORY IN WHICH MORE FEMALES THAN MALES WERE REFERRED. DELINQUENCY (AS OPPOSED TO STATUS OFFENSES) ACCOUNTED FOR 55.9 PERCENT OF ALL REFERRALS--52 PERCENT FOR WHITES, 66 PERCENT FOR BLACKS, AND 57 PERCENT FOR SPANISH-SURNAMED YOUTHS. MALES WERE REFERRED MOST COMMONLY FOR DELINQUENCY, FEMALES FOR STATUS OFFENSES. YOUTHS AGED 14 TO 16 ACCOUNTED FOR 77.7 PERCENT OF ALL REFERRALS. YOUTHS REFERRED FOR STATUS OFFENSES WERE DETAINED SLIGHTLY MORE FREQUENTLY (42.4 PERCENT) THAN YOUTHS REFERRED FOR DELINQUENCY (41.3 PERCENT). DETENTION PERCENTAGES WERE 42 PERCENT FOR MALES AND 42.5 PERCENT FOR FEMALES. OF THE YOUTHS HELD IN SECURE DETENTION FACILITIES, 40 PERCENT WERE DETAINED LESS THAN 24 HOURS AND 35.3 PERCENT WERE HELD FROM 1 TO 3 DAYS. LENGTH OF DETENTION WAS COMPARABLE FOR DELINQUENCY AND STATUS OFFENSE REFERRALS. A COPY OF THE STATE'S FAMILY CODE AND A DIRECTORY OF JUVENILE COURTS AND PROBATION DEPARTMENTS ARE PROVIDED. (LKM)