Admissions during 1989 reversed a 3-year decline and were almost 18 percent higher than in 1988. This trend continued into 1990 when admissions increased by 4 percent over 1989. From 1986 to 1990, youth admitted to DFY custody were increasingly male, younger, and more likely to be black or Latino. The number of youth adjudicated as Title III juvenile delinquents increased by 48 percent between 1986 and 1990, with most of the increase occurring between 1988 and 1989. The most serious offenses for which youth were admitted changed between 1986 and 1990. There were major increases in drug offenses (up 509 percent), unauthorized motor vehicle use (up 205 percent), firearms offenses (up 126 percent), and assault (up 77 percent). Of approximately 2,000 youth who had intake assessments in 1990, 20 percent were anticipated to be in need of surrogate housing following residential care. With respect to housing composition, 48 percent came from households with only one adult and 15 percent came from households where there were no parents at all. Youth entering custody in 1990 who were screened at intake had the following service needs: substance abuse (57 percent), mental health (29 percent), special education (27 percent), and sex offender treatment (9 percent). For youth whose residential stays were not legally restricted, the median length of DFY residential stay was almost 2 months shorter in 1990 than it was in 1988. 7 tables and 12 figures