The discussion notes that a delinquent conduct referral is made to a juvenile probation department every 8 minutes. In 1995, more than 133,800 cases were referred to local juvenile probation departments. Only 2.36 percent of the youths involved were committed to the State's institutional system for juvenile offenders. The probation commission's funding amounted to more than $50 million in fiscal year 1995, while the juvenile probation system's funding amounted to more than $168 million in the same period. Commission activities include the establishment of probation and detention standards, monitoring local compliance with standards, training and certification, data collection, the development of community-based programs as alternatives for juvenile offenders. Photographs, figures, and tables