The court records of juveniles who had committed felonies and were processed in the county during 1995 or 1996 were examined to develop profiles of the offender population. In addition, these data were used to develop prediction models to identify factors that have been used in determining where to place juveniles. The researchers drew a random sample of 300 juveniles from each of the 2 years under study. The county juvenile court system provided basic demographic information about each of the subjects. Data were also obtained on prior delinquent histories. Once it was determined that there were no statistically significant differences between the youth samples in the 2 years, the groups were combined and studied as one sample. For each disposition in the criminal history of each youth, researchers collected the following information: the type of sanction (diversion, probation, special probation, other residential placement, rehabilitation center, or DYS); the date the disposition began; the date the disposition ended; and the termination status of that particular disposition. For the juvenile's first disposition, researchers also determined what type of contact the offender first had with the court. The jurisdiction studied is committed to a balanced-approach model, which espouses accountability, public safety, and skill development. In implementing this approach, there are a variety of sanctions that offer many levels of security as well as varying types of treatment. Under such a system with varying options for disposition, it is important to know what factors influence where an offender is placed. The current analysis found that decisions are based on many factors, most of which could be considered legal or static factors. It is on actuarial assessment, which incorporates both static (legal factors such as prior criminal history and current offense) and dynamic predictors (criminogenic needs and responsivity factors) upon which most decisions should be based. 4 tables, 6 notes, and 36 references