Increased jailing of juveniles in secure facilities appears to be an emerging policy in the United States today. No written policies have been published concerning short-term lockups, but it exists as an unofficial correctional disposition. Secure detention is incarceration within a system traditionally hidden from public view and legislative scrutiny. Research has shown that secure detention is often used to punish the alleged offenders, for the administrative convenience of the court, and for lack of available social services for youths and their families. Alternatives to secure detention are less expensive and more appropriate. They include attention homes, group homes housing between 5 and 12 juveniles plus one set of live-in house parents; runaway programs, offering another kind of group home; and private residential foster homes. Examples of the misuse of secure detention in New York State and New York City and the potential for alternatives in New York City are discussed. A total of 26 notes are supplied.