THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED IN RESPONSE TO STATE LEGISLATION STIPULATING THE GROUNDS FOR THE DISPOSITION OF JUVENILE CRIMINAL OFFENDERS (CONVICTED OF ACTS THAT WOULD BE CRIMES IF COMMITTED BY AN ADULT). THE LEGISLATION REQUIRED PLANNING BASED UPON THE CHARACTERISTICS OF JUVENILE OFFENDERS AND THE IMPACT OF DISPOSITION, DECLINATION RATES, AND JUDGE DISCRETION RATES ON FACILITY BED-SPACE AND COMMUNITY SUPERVISION HOURS. NECESSARY CHARACTERISTICS FOR A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE OF JUVENILES REFERRED TO JUVENILE COURT DURING 1975 AND 1976 WERE GATHERED AND INCORPORATED INTO A VERIFIED COMPUTER FILE. DATA GATHERED WERE COURT WHERE REFERRAL WAS MADE, IDENTIFICATION NUMBER FOR EACH JUVENILE, BIRTHDATE, SEX, DATE AND REASON FOR THE INSTANT REFERRAL, WHETHER OR NOT A WEAPON WAS INVOLVED IN THE INSTANT REFERRAL, WHETHER OR NOT BODILY HARM RESULTED FROM THE OFFENSE, IDENTIFICATION AND DATES OF UP TO 9 DELINQUENCY REFERRALS PRIOR TO THE INSTANT REFERRAL, AND WHETHER THE JUVENILE HAD 10 OR MORE PRIOR DELINQUENCY REFERRALS. DISPOSITION STANDARDS PROVIDED SENTENCE RANGES BASED ON THE INSTANT REFERRAL SEVERITY AND A MULTIPLIER CALCULATED FROM THE JUVENILE'S PAST OFFENSE HISTORY. DATA FROM A REPRESENTATIVE SAMPLE OF CASES WERE USED TO DEVELOP A FLOWCHART SHOWING THE PROCESSING AND DISPOSITION OF THE SUBJECTS. FROM THE DISPOSITIONS CALCULATED, THE NEED FOR VARIOUS TYPES OF JUVENILE FACILITIES WAS PROJECTED. TABULAR AND GRAPHIC DATA ARE PROVIDED. (RCB)