Following a brief literature review that examines the role of preadjudicatory juvenile detention, this article reports on a quantitative analysis of the secure detention needs for juveniles in Erie County, PA. On a purely quantitative basis, the analysis of juvenile detention requirements by Erie County criminal justice planners presented clear evidence of the need for additional secure-detention beds. Policymakers, although continuing to discuss building a larger secure-detention facility, agreed to implement a risk-screening instrument for detention, with the understanding that an evaluation of its effectiveness would help them make a better decision about the need for more detention capacity. The Civic Institute developed a pilot Mercyhurst Level of Security Screening Instrument (MLSSI) to help in making decisions about which youth admitted to detention would be eligible for transfer to shelter services. The screening instrument focused on ensuring that those youth who were transferred posed less risk to community safety, less risk of absconding, and less risk of harming themselves or reoffending than ineligible youth. The analysis of the instrument's value was based on all 1,093 youth admitted to juvenile detention in the county during the period of August 1, 1998, through January 31, 2001. The findings show that females were detained at a higher rate than males, as were youth younger than 14 years old. After controlling for legal variables, the study found that white youth were detained for less serious offenses than Black youth, a finding inconsistent with much of the literature. These findings of extra-legal bias -- based on gender, age, and race -- in detention decisions for juveniles in Erie County suggests that the secure-detention population in Erie County can be safely reduced through the use of a screening instrument that provides for a more objective decision making process that will screen out many juveniles currently being detained in secure facilities. 5 tables and 27 references