The Institutional Operations section of DCFS was created in 1985 to administer the State Youth Services Centers system. The section's mission is to maintain an institutional service delivery system for adjudicated youth based on the principle of family-focused services and treatment in the least restrictive environment possible. Program assessment consultants profiled and tracked DCFS commitments and monitored all cases released from Youth Services Centers. Consultants looked at sociodemographic data, criminal and institutional characteristics, and recidivism. Subsequently, consultants developed recommendations for such institutional operations as diagnosis and treatment, intake and classification, staffing and training, intensive treatment, community-based programs, educational programs, and behavior management. Additional information is appended on the forecasting of detention populations, alternatives to institutionalizing youth, and recidivism rates. 11 references, 20 tables.