Highlights from the 2004 Juvenile Residential Facility Census include: (1) in 2004, 27 youths died while in legal custody of the facility; (2) suicide was the most commonly reported cause of death in custody during the 12 months prior to the 2004 census; (3) the death rate for juveniles was generally higher for private facilities than for public facilities; and (4) suicides did not generally occur in the first days of a youth’s stay. Routine collection of national data on deaths of juveniles in custody began with the 1989 Children in Custody: Census of Public and Private Juvenile Detention, Correctional and Shelter Facilities (CIC). Tables