While the number of youths in residential placement has been on a steady decline in the U.S. since 2003, an uptick was observed in 2023.
In March, the National Center for Juvenile Justice (NCJJ) updated its Easy Access to the Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement tool to include data from 2023 — the most recent year available. The census is done biennially, typically on the last Wednesday in October.
The tool “was developed to facilitate independent analysis of national data on the characteristics of youth held in residential placement facilities, including detailed information about the youth’s age, sex, race/ethnicity, placement status, length of stay, and most serious offense,” according to the nonprofit research group.
Across all offense types, 29,314 youth (individuals younger than 21) were in residential placement in 2023, up from 24,894 in 2021 but a significant decrease from 96,531 in 2003. Nationally, males are far more likely than females to be in residential placement, and broken down by race/ethnicity, Black, white and Hispanic youth are most commonly in this placement.
In 2023, person-based offenses (such as simple or aggravated assault, robbery or criminal homicide) were the most common, followed by offenses related to property, public order, technical violations and drugs. Most residents (15,428) were committed following a court-ordered disposition while others (13,285) were detained and awaiting resolution or other actions related to a case.
Detention and residential treatment centers as well as long-term secure facilities were the most common environments youth were housed in and the majority were state- or locally run as opposed to private entities.
Teens who were 16- and 17-years-old were the two largest groups by age in residential placement on census day.
In California, 2,433 youth were in residential placement on census day. Their demographics largely aligned with national trends by sex, race/ethnicity, offense type and other characteristics. Additionally, the state saw more youth in residential placement in 2023 than it did in 2021 (2,385), but far less than it did in 2023 (16,782).
California, Texas (2,955) and Ohio (1,824) were among the three states in 2023 with the most youth in placement.
Explore the tool for more national and state data here.
