Synopsis "Juvenile Residential Facility Census, 2010: Selected Findings"
The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention's biennial Juvenile Residential Facility Census (JRFC) collects information about facilities in which juvenile offenders are held. Respondents provide information about facility characteristics, including facility type, capacity, and type of security. JRFC also reports the number of youth who were injured or died in custody during the past 12 months. This bulletin provides findings from the 2010 survey. The juvenile offender population dropped 18% from 2008 to 2010. Issues of crowding and overcapacity at these facilities, however, continue to be of concern. In 2010, about 18% of facilities were at their standard bed capacity, and 2% were over capacity. The 2010 JRFC data also describe the range of services that facilities provide to youth in their care. Almost all facilities (92%) reported that a portion of or all residents attended some type of schooling. Most responding facilities routinely evaluated all juvenile offenders for substance use (70%), mental health needs (57%), and suicide risk (89%). Together, JRFC and its companion survey, the Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement, which describes the demographics of youth in custody, allow the corrections community, juvenile justice professionals, youth advocates, and policymakers to monitor conditions of confinement and ensure that the nation's juvenile residential facilities are safe and that youth in custody receive the necessary treatment and services.
