National Overviews

In all states, detention facilities are primarily used to hold juveniles securely while they await adjudication or placement. In some states, that is the only use. However, juvenile detention facilities in most states are also employed, either occasionally or routinely, for punitive purposes of one kind or another. Juveniles in 35 states can be sent to a detention facility as a disposition following an adjudication--usually briefly, in cases calling for incarceration, but not necessarily in a state correctional facility. New Hampshire limits using detention as a disposition to cases involving a certain type of offender. A term in secure detention can be imposed as a sanction for violations of probation conditions in 40 states. Only 9 states use secure detention solely for preliminary or pre-placement holding purposes.

Citation: Griffin, Patrick and King, Melanie. 2006. "National Overviews." State Juvenile Justice Profiles. Pittsburgh, PA: National Center for Juvenile Justice. Online. Available: http://www.ncjj.org/stateprofiles/.