Custody Data (1997-Present)

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

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Q:	Does time in placement vary by race/ethnicity?
A:	For both minority and white youth, half of committed juveniles had been held in the facility at least 16 weeks.

Length of Stay for Committed Juveniles in Residential Placement by Race, 1997

Length of Stay for Detained Juveniles in Residential Placement by Race, 1997

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The CJRP captures information on the number of days since admission for each juvenile in residential placement. These data represent the number of days the juvenile had been in the facility up to the census date (February 22, 2006). Because the data are not based on a release cohort, the complete length of stay cannot be determined.
The overall median time in placement for juvenile offenders held in juvenile facilities was 65 days in 2006. The median time in placement for white youth (69 days) exceeded the median time in placement for minority youth (64 days).
Among detained juveniles, 26% of white youth had been in the facility at least 30 days, compared with 33% of black youth.
Among committed offenders, time in placement was virtually the same for whites and minorities until about the 100-day mark. After 100 days, the proportion of white youth remaining in custody was slightly greater than the proportion of minority youth remaining.
After 6 months, 34% of committed white youth and 33% of committed minority youth remained in custody.

Internet citation: OJJDP Statistical Briefing Book. Online. Available: http://ojjdp.ncjrs.gov/ojstatbb/corrections/qa08403.asp?qaDate=2006. Released on September 12, 2008.

Data Source: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement 2006 [machine-readable data files]. Washington, D.C.: OJJDP.