In New York State, juvenile detention is the legally authorized, temporary holding of children under 16 years old pending court adjudication, disposition, or placement. Juveniles eligible for detention in New York State are those who have committed acts which if done by adults would be crimes and children deemed by the courts to be beyond the control of their parents or guardians. Such youths may be detained if they are judged by the court to be at risk of not appearing for the court hearing or at risk of committing harm to others or themselves. Juveniles detained may be placed in either nonsecure or secure facilities. There are no clear guidelines for determining which youths are at such risk as to require detention, and there are no standards for deciding in which type of facility they should be placed. In 1978 New York State's detention rate was 34.7 percent of the juveniles processed. Only 12 percent of these were charged with serious offenses. Too many juveniles are unnecessarily placed in the dehumanizing conditions of secure detention for too long a time. New statutory criteria must be developed for juveniles' admission to secure detention so as to conform to 'last restrictive' standards set for the detention of adults. 29 notes.