Custody Data (1997-Present)

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), Serving Children, Families, and Communities

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Q:	Do public facilities hold more juveniles than private facilities?
A:	Public facilities held 71% of juveniles in residential placement on October 27, 1999.

Juvenile offender population by facility type, 1999

Facility operation	1997	1999	Percent change 1997-99

Facilities
All facilities	2,844	2,939	3	%
Public	1,108	1,136	3
Private	1,736	1,794	3
Tribal*	–	9	–

Juvenile offenders
All facilities	105,790	108,931	3
Public	76,335	77,158	1
Private	29,455	31,599	7
Tribal*	–	174	–

* CJRP did not include tribal facilities in 1997.

Note: To preserve the privacy of the juvenile residents, cell counts have been rounded to the nearest multiple of three. Detail may not add to total because of rounding. Rates and percentages presented are also based on rounded totals. More information on this rounding rule is available on the CJRP Databook Web site.

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Private facilities are operated by private non-profit or for-profit corporations or organizations in which the employees working daily in the facilities and directly with the residents are employees of that private corporation or organization.
State or local government agencies operate public facilities - the employees working daily in the facilities and directly with the residents are State or local government employees.
Private facilities tend to be smaller than public facilities. Thus, although there are more private than public facilities nationwide, public facilities hold the majority of juvenile offenders on any given day. In 1999, private facilities accounted for 61% of facilities holding juvenile offenders, however they held just 29% of juvenile offenders in residential placement on the census reference day.
Between 1997 and 1999 the number of public facilities holding juvenile offenders increased 3%. The number of private facilities holding juvenile offenders also increased 3%. Private facilities, however, experienced a disproportionate increase in their offender population. Overall, there was a 3% increase between 1997 and 1999 in the number of juvenile offenders in custody. Among private facilities the offender population increased 7%, compared with 1% for public facilities.

Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/ojstatbb/corrections/qa08502.asp?qaDate=20021030. Released on October 30, 2002.

Adapted from Sickmund, M. (2004). Juveniles in Corrections. Washington, D.C.: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.

Data Source: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement 1997 and 1999 [machine-readable data files]. Washington, D.C.: OJJDP, 1998 and 2001.