SAN DIEGO COUNTY JUVENILE HALL HAS EXPERIENCED CHRONIC PROBLEMS OF OVERCROWDING AND ITS JUVENILE-TO-BED RATIO IS ONE OF THE HIGHEST AMONG CALIFORNIA COUNTIES. BED SPACES HAD BEEN REDUCED DURING THE LAST SEVERAL YEARS TO COMPLY WITH CALIFORNIA STANDARDS AND TO ACCOMODATE A TRANSFERRED REHABILITATION PROGRAM. ANALYSIS SHOWED THAT THE HALL'S POPULATION HAD RISEN SLIGHTLY SINCE 1977 AND WAS LIKELY TO BE OVERCROWDED 60 PERCENT OF THE TIME IN 1978. SEASONAL AND DAILY POPULATION PATTERNS WERE ALSO EXAMINED. USING AN EXPANDED SAMPLE OF 500 JUVENILE CASES, THE STUDY FOUND THAT OFFENDERS WERE DETAINED ON THE BASIS OF SERIOUSNESS OF THE CRIME AND PRIOR HISTORY. THE POPULATION OF JUVENILE HALL WAS ANALYZED ACCORDING TO BASIC DEMOGRAPHIC CHARACTERISTICS, REASONS FOR DETENTION, LENGTH OF STAY, AND REFERRING AGENCY. EXAMINATION OF THIS DATA SHOWED THAT OVER ONE-THIRD OF THE POPULATION HAD BEEN ADJUDICATED AND WERE AWAITING PLACEMENT IN OTHER JUVENILE FACILITIES, AND THAT THIS DETENTION TIME WAS TWICE THE PRETRIAL PERIOD. SAN DIEGO HAS BEEN USING SEVERAL METHODS TO REDUCE THE HALL'S POPULATION INCLUDING HOME SUPERVISION, TEMPORARY PLACEMENT CONTRACTS WITH PRIVATE AGENCIES, AND EXPEDITING THE COMMITMENT PROCESS. CONSTRUCTION OF ADDITIONAL SPACE HAS BEEN APPROVED AND SHOULD SOLVE THE OVERCROWDING, ASSUMING NO CHANGES IN LEGISLATIVE OR JUDICIAL POLICIES OCCUR. THE REPORT RECOMMENDED THAT STUDIES BE UNDERTAKEN TO ASSESS THE IMPACT OF DECISIONS CONCERNING OTHER JUVENILE FACILITIES ON THE JUVENILE HALL AND TO INSTITUTE REGULAR DATA COLLECTION PROCEDURES TO MEASURE THE LENGTH OF TIME BETWEEN ADJUDICATION AND COMMITMENT AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE HALL'S POPULATION. IT ALSO SUGGESTED SHORT-TERM OPTIONS TO REDUCE OVERCROWDING UNTIL THE FACILITY'S EXPANSION IS COMPLETED. TABLES AND GRAPHS ACCOMPANY THE TEXT, WITH A GLOSSARY OF TERMS APPENDED. (MJM)