THE FIRST SECTION DESCRIBES THE PHILADELPHIA DATA AND AN ANALYSIS OF IT REGARDING PREDICTIONS OF JUVENILE OFFENDERS' CAREERS. THE NEXT DESCRIBES THE INTAKE PRACTICES OF A PARTICULAR KIND OF JUVENILE OFFENDER PROGRAM, THE YOUTH SERVICE BUREAU, THE U.S. AS A WHOLE AND PARTICULARLY IN NORTH CAROLINA. SOME OF THE IMPLICATIONS OF THE ANALYSIS OF THE PHILADELPHIA DATA FOR NORTH CAROLINA ARE TRACED, INCLUDING SOME SUGGESTIONS REGARDING PRIORITIES IN PROVIDING SERVICES TO JUVENILE OFFENDERS. IN THE LATE 1960'S AND EARLY 1970'S, YOUTH SERVICE BUREAU PROGRAMS WERE WIDELY IMPLEMENTED AS A SOLUTION TO THE DELINQUENCY PROBLEM. A RECENT NATIONAL STUDY INDICATES THAT THESE PROGRAMS' CLIENTS ARE PREDOMINATELY JUVENILE STATUS OFFENDERS SUCH AS TRUANTS AND RUNAWAYS, RATHER THAN YOUTHS WHO COMMIT CRIMINAL ACTS. THE CONCENTRATION ON STATUS OFFENDERS IS BASED ON THE DESIRE (1) TO REDUCE DAMAGING INVOLVEMENT WITH THE FORMAL JUVENILE JUSTICE SYSTEM; (2) TO INTERVENE EARLY, ON THE THEORY THAT STATUS OFFENSES OTHERWISE ESCALATE INTO TRUE CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR; AND (3) TO AVOID GREATER RISKS INVOLVED IN DEALING WITH MORE SERIOUS JUVENILE OFFENDERS. IN LIGHT OF THE PHILADELPHIA DATA, THIS POLICY NEEDS TO BE RE-EXAMINED. BOYS IN THE COHORT DATA WHOSE FIRST OFFENSE WAS A STATUS OFFENSE WERE MUCH LESS LIKELY TO RECIDIVATE THAN THOSE WHOSE FIRST OFFENSE WAS A CRIMINAL ACT. THE DATA SHOW NO EVIDENCE WHATEVER OF ESCALATION AND INDICATE THAT MOST BOYS WHO COMMITTED CRIMINAL ACTS DID NOT BEGIN BY COMMITTING STATUS OFFENSES. THESE FINDINGS PLUS THE CONCENTRATION OF CRIMINAL OFFENSES IN A RELATIVELY SMALL GROUP OF REPEAT OFFENDERS SUGGEST THAT CONCENTRATING RESOUCES ON JUVENILES WHO HAVE COMMITTED THEIR FIRST CRIMINAL OFFENSE MAY BE A MORE EFFECTIVE MEANS OF REDUCING DELINQUENCY THAN CONCENTRATING ON STATUS OFFENDERS. TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCE NOTES ARE PROVIDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED--KBL)