******PUBLICATION ADVISORY******

DECLINE IN JUVENILE OFFENDERS IN CUSTODY
Findings from the 2008 Juvenile Residential Facility Census

WASHINGTON - The number of juvenile offenders in custody dropped 12 percent from 92,093 in 2006 to 81,015 in 2008, according to a bulletin presenting census data released today by the Department of Justice's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP).

OJJDP developed the Juvenile Residential Facility Census in 2000 to collect data on juvenile correctional facilities. Facilities provide information on their size, structure, type, ownership, security arrangements, and the number of injuries and deaths in custody during the past 12 months. The 2008 census compiled reports from 2,860 juvenile facilities, 2,458 of which housed 81,015 offenders younger than 21. The proportion of residents held in facilities that were at or above the limit of their standard bed capacity dropped from 40 percent in 2000 to 21 percent in 2008.

This bulletin is part of OJJDP's Juvenile Offenders and Victims National Report Series, which offers a comprehensive statistical overview of the problems of juvenile crime, violence, and victimization.

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The Office of Justice Programs (OJP), headed by Assistant Attorney General Laurie O. Robinson, provides federal leadership in developing the nation's capacity to prevent and control crime, administer justice, and assist victims. OJP has seven bureaus and offices: the Bureau of Justice Assistance; the Bureau of Justice Statistics; the National Institute of Justice; the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention; the Office for Victims of Crime; the Community Capacity Development Office, and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking (SMART). More information about OJP and its components can be found at https://ojp.gov.