To ensure effective control on the use of secure detention for juveniles, the court administrator has instituted a number of initiatives. Detention-use monitoring is being formally established as an ongoing court priority by delegating to one staff member the authority to review all intake and release decisions made by judges and referees. This staff member tracks the court status of detention cases, expedites paper flow, arranges necessary transportation, provides regular statistical reports, and performs any other tasks necessary to ensure adherence to written policies and to maintain the detention center population within its capacity. The county's automated juvenile information system is being enhanced to permit collection, analysis, and retrieval of data relevant to detention decisionmaking and monitoring. Assessment instruments will provide decisionmakers with objective estimates of a juvenile's risk of failure to appear and dangerousness to self or others. Current alternatives to secure detention are being expanded, and new options explored. Under these policies, the average daily population of the detention center has been reduced by more than 30 percent since 1986.