As of December 31, 1991, more than 35,000 juvenile offenders were in custody in about 200 State facilities staffed by more than 30,000 employees. Most States reported the average length of stay to be just under 8 months. The youngest age a youth was remanded to State custody averaged 11 years, while the upper age limit for juveniles sent to State custody averaged 17.7 years. Programs in most State juvenile systems offered academic education, vocational training and counseling, organized recreation, and substance abuse and mental health counseling. Many States also provided services for pregnancy, sex offenders, violent offenders, and gang offenders. In an effort to provide a complete continuum of services, 38 States spent about $360 million on contracts with private agencies for specialized services. Twenty-three States indicated overcrowding, with facilities operating 10 to 30 percent over capacity. Although States expanded programs, they reported such problems as lack of programs and staff, insufficient resources, and inadequate programs for females. Statistics on juvenile offenders, facilities, and programs are tabulated. 3 tables