Secure detention is available from local governments for youths ages 10-18 whose behavior is considered to represent a danger to themselves or others. It is not specifically or exclusively used for juvenile offenders. Thirty-one secure units were open at some time during the year ending March 31, 1992. One thousand males and 409 females were admitted to these accommodations. Since 1984, the numbers admitted to secure accommodation has declined, but the length of stay has increased. Developments likely to change the use of secure detention are the recent abolition of the use of prisons for pretrial detention for juveniles aged 15-16 and the Home Secretary's 1993 proposal that courts be allowed to pass a "secure training order" on youths aged 12-15 who are serious chronic offenders. The government proposes to act as the purchaser of secure training center provision and to allow the private sector to take part in the provision of secure facilities. The latter change will probably significantly change the current pattern of provision and use. Therefore, it is crucial that the availability of new accommodations not have an undesirable effect on perceptions about the number of youths who need to be locked up. Reference