Juvenile Residential Facility Census
The Juvenile Residential Facility Census (JRFC) is a biennial data collection effort sponsored by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP), a component of the U.S. Department of Justice. The census collects a wide range of information about juvenile residential facilities across the United States.
Key aspects of the JRFC include:
| • | Purpose: The census provides a count and characteristics of public and private juvenile residential facilities that house youth who have been charged with or adjudicated for an offense. The data is used for program planning, funding, and research. |
| • | Data Collected: The JRFC gathers information on facility characteristics, such as: |
| o | Ownership and operation (public or private) |
| o | Types of facilities (e.g., detention center, training school, group home) |
| o | Services provided to youth, including physical and mental health care, education, and substance abuse treatment |
| o | Injuries and deaths in custody |
| • | Frequency: The census has been conducted biennially (every two years) since 2000. |
| • | Exclusions: The JRFC does not include adult prisons or jails, nor does it include facilities used exclusively for mental health or substance abuse treatment or for dependent children. It focuses on facilities housing youth under the age of 21 who are in custody due to an offense. |
| • | Relationship to other data collections: The JRFC is a companion to the Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement (CJRP). While the JRFC focuses on the facilities themselves, the CJRP collects data on the individual youth held within those facilities. |
The data from the JRFC is a valuable resource for understanding the juvenile justice system and the conditions of confinement for young people in residential settings.
