Assessing Mental Health Problems Among Serious Delinquents Committed to the California Youth Authority, 1997-1999 (ICPSR 4337)
Assessing the Effectiveness of Four Juvenile Justice Interventions on Adult Criminal Justice and Child Welfare Outcomes, Ohio, 2004-2008 (ICPSR 36130)
These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.
This study compared the adult criminal justice and child welfare system outcomes of four pathways through the juvenile justice system - Traditional Probation, Intensive Probation, Specialty Court Docket (Crossroads Program), and commitment to state youth correction services (Department of Youth Services). The study compared the effectiveness of a continuum of services and supervision in improving public safety, including re-arrest and re-incarceration, and in improving outcomes in engagement with child welfare as parents, including child welfare complaints and dispositions.
The core research question is: "what is the relative effectiveness of four different juvenile justice interventions on improving public safety and child welfare outcomes?" The study population is all youths (n=2581) who entered the juvenile court from 2004-2008. It then included 7-10 years of follow-up in the adult justice and child welfare systems for all youths. The four interventions are on a continuum of intensity of services and supervision with Traditional Probation having the fewest services followed by Intensive Probation, Crossroads, and Division of Youth Services commitment.
The study's deposits include 14 SPSS data files:
- arrest_final.sav
- CW_Custody_Adult_final.sav
- CW_Custody_child_final.sav
- CW_Intakes_Adult_final.sav
- CW_Intakes_child_final.sav
- CW_Placements_adult_final.sav
- CW_Placements_child_final.sav
- General_final.sav
- Jail_final.sav
- JC_charges_final.sav
- JC_detention_final.sav
- JC_disposition_final.sav
- JC_Gal_final.sav
- prison_final.sav
Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement, 1997-2010 -- Concatenated Data [United States] (ICPSR 27541)
Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement, 1997 [United States] (ICPSR 4673)
Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement, 1999 [United States] (ICPSR 4674)
Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement, 2001 [United States] (ICPSR 4670)
Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement, 2003 [United States] (ICPSR 23480)
Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement, 2006 [United States] (ICPSR 24300)
Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement, 2007 [United States] (ICPSR 34401)
Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement, 2010 [United States] (ICPSR 34448)
Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement, 2011 [United States] (ICPSR 36436)
The Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement (CJRP), conducted every other year, asks juvenile residential custody facilities in the United States to describe all youth assigned a bed in the facility on a specified reference date. In 2011, the reference date was Wednesday, October 26 (the last Wednesday in October).
Each record in the data provides information on a juvenile in a residential facility on the reference date, including information on placement (e.g. placing agency), the judicial process (e.g. court adjudication status), and demographics (e.g. age). Each record that provides information about a juvenile also includes information about institutional characteristics (e.g. facility type, use of locked doors or gates), treatment services, and population of the facility in which the juvenile was held. Therefore, CJRP data can be analyzed at the individual or facility level.
Some state and regional agencies provide CJRP data for more than one facility under their jurisdiction. The census was not sent to adult facilities or to facilities exclusively for drug or mental health treatment or for abused or neglected children.
Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement, 2013 [United States] (ICPSR 36463)
The Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement (CJRP), conducted every other year, asks juvenile residential custody facilities in the United States to describe all youth assigned a bed in the facility on a specified reference date. In 2013, the reference date was Wednesday, October 23 (the fourth Wednesday in October).
Each record in the data provides information on a juvenile in a residential facility on the reference date, including information on placement (e.g. placing agency), the judicial process (e.g. court adjudication status), and demographics (e.g. age). Each record that provides information about a juvenile also includes information about institutional characteristics (e.g. facility type, use of locked doors or gates), treatment services, and population of the facility in which the juvenile was held. Therefore, CJRP data can be analyzed at the individual or facility level.
The census was not sent to adult facilities or to facilities exclusively for drug or mental health treatment or for abused or neglected children. Some state and regional agencies provide CJRP data for more than one facility under their jurisdiction.
Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement, 2015 [United States] (ICPSR 36871)
The Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement (CJRP), conducted every other year, asks juvenile residential custody facilities in the United States to describe all youth assigned a bed in the facility on a specified reference date. In 2015, the reference date was Wednesday, October 28 (the fourth Wednesday in October).
Each record in the data provides information on a juvenile in a residential facility on the reference date, including information on placement (e.g. placing agency), the judicial process (e.g. court adjudication status), and demographics (e.g. age). Each record that provides information about a juvenile also includes information about institutional characteristics (e.g. facility type, use of locked doors or gates), treatment services, and population of the facility in which the juvenile was held. Therefore, CJRP data can be analyzed at the individual or facility level.
The census was not sent to adult facilities or to facilities exclusively for drug or mental health treatment or for abused or neglected children. Some state and regional agencies provide CJRP data for more than one facility under their jurisdiction.
Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement, 2017 [United States] (ICPSR 37952)
The Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement (CJRP), conducted every other year, asks juvenile residential custody facilities in the United States to describe all youth assigned a bed in the facility on a specified reference date. In 2017, the reference date was Wednesday, October 25 (the fourth Wednesday in October).
Each record in the data provides information on a juvenile in a residential facility on the reference date, including information on placement (e.g. placing agency), the judicial process (e.g. court adjudication status), and demographics (e.g. age). Each record that provides information about a juvenile also includes information about institutional characteristics (e.g. facility type, use of locked doors or gates), treatment services, and population of the facility in which the juvenile was held. Therefore, CJRP data can be analyzed at the individual or facility level.
The census was not sent to adult facilities or to facilities exclusively for drug or mental health treatment or for abused or neglected children. Some state and regional agencies provide CJRP data for more than one facility under their jurisdiction.
Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement, 2019 [United States] (ICPSR 38915)
The Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement (CJRP), conducted every other year, asks juvenile residential custody facilities in the United States to describe all youth assigned to a bed in the facility on a specified reference date. In 2019, the reference date was Wednesday, October 23 (the fourth Wednesday in October).
Each record in the data provides information on a juvenile in a residential facility on the reference date, including information on placement (e.g., placing agency), the judicial process (e.g., court adjudication status), and demographics (e.g., age). Each record that provides information about a juvenile also includes information about institutional characteristics (e.g., facility type, use of locked doors or gates), treatment services, and population of the facility in which the juvenile was held. Therefore, CJRP data can be analyzed at the individual or facility level.
The census was not sent to adult facilities or to facilities exclusively for drug or mental health treatment or for abused or neglected children. Some state and regional agencies provide CJRP data for more than one facility under their jurisdiction.
Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement, 2021 [United States] (ICPSR 38916)
The Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement (CJRP), conducted every other year, asks juvenile residential custody facilities in the United States to describe all youth assigned a bed in the facility on a specified reference date. In 2021, the reference date was Wednesday, October 27 (the fourth Wednesday in October).
Each record in the data provides information on a juvenile in a residential facility on the reference date, including information on placement (e.g. placing agency), the judicial process (e.g. court adjudication status), and demographics (e.g. age). Each record that provides information about a juvenile also includes information about institutional characteristics (e.g. facility type, use of locked doors or gates), treatment services, and population of the facility in which the juvenile was held. Therefore, CJRP data can be analyzed at the individual or facility level.
The census was not sent to adult facilities or to facilities exclusively for drug or mental health treatment or for abused or neglected children. Some state and regional agencies provide CJRP data for more than one facility under their jurisdiction.
Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement and Juvenile Residential Facility Census, 1997-2010 -- Concatenated Matched Data [United States] (ICPSR 27543)
Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement and Juvenile Residential Facility Census, 1997-2010 -- Concatenated Matched Facility-Level Data [United States] (ICPSR 27544)
Census of Juveniles in Residential Placement and Juvenile Residential Facility Census, 1997-2010 -- Concatenated Matched State-Level Data [United States] (ICPSR 27545)
Census of Public and Private Juvenile Detention, Correctional, and Shelter Facilities, 1986-1987: [United States] (ICPSR 8973)
Census of Public and Private Juvenile Detention, Correctional, and Shelter Facilities, 1988-1989: [United States] (ICPSR 9445)
Census of Public and Private Juvenile Detention, Correctional, and Shelter Facilities, 1990-1991: [United States] (ICPSR 9824)
Census of Public and Private Juvenile Detention, Correctional, and Shelter Facilities, 1992-1993: [United States] (ICPSR 6491)
Census of Public and Private Juvenile Detention, Correctional, and Shelter Facilities, 1994-1995: [United States] (ICPSR 24260)
The Criminalization of LGBQ/GNCT Youth, California, 2014 (ICPSR 37001)
Evaluating the Impact of Alternative Placement Programs for Juveniles in a Southwestern State, 1983-1995: [United States] (ICPSR 2991)
Evaluation of Florida's Avon Park Youth Academy and STREET Smart Program, 2002-2008 (ICPSR 37111)
The Evaluation of Florida's Avon Park Youth Academy and STREET Smart Program, 2002-2008 contains data gathered on youth involved in programs which aim to increase educational outcomes, increase labor force participation, and reduce recidivism.
Avon Park Youth Academy (APYA) is a secure custody residential facility that provides specialized, remedial education and intensive vocational training to moderate risk youth committed to the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice (DJJ). The STREET Smart program (SS) was the reentry component of the program, which provided community support and educational and vocational services to APYA participants on a voluntary basis after their release to the community. In the last several years, APYA/SS has received national and international recognition as a "Promising Program" for juvenile offenders. Both the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) and the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) determined that a rigorous evaluation was required to assess whether APYA/SS could progress from a "Promising Program" to an "Evidence-based Practice."
To conduct this evaluation, the National Council on Crime and Delinquency (NCCD) designed and conducted a field trial that randomly assigned youth committed to DJJ to the APYA/SS program or a control group. This experimental design permitted a rigorous test of the hypothesis that compared to the control group, APYA/SS participants would demonstrate more positive educational achievement, increased labor force participation, and reduced recidivism outcomes after community release.
The 360 youth assigned to the experimental control group stayed at APYA for an average of 9.7 months from 2002-2005. Of these, 301 youth completed participation in the SS program by March 2006. The youth were observed for a three-year period after their community release dates. This included an interview following release from incarceration to collect data on educational achievements, employment, and justice system program experiences. All subjects had reached the 36-month follow-up threshold as of May 2008.
An Examination of the Link Between Gang Involvement and Victimization Among Youth in Residential Placement, United States, 2003 (ICPSR 37936)
Firearm Involvement in Delinquent Youth and Collateral Consequences in Young Adulthood: A Prospective Longitudinal Study, Chicago, Illinois, 1995-1998 (ICPSR 37371)
This study contains data from the Northwestern Juvenile Project (NJP) series, a prospective longitudinal study of the mental health needs and outcomes of youth in detention.
This study examined the following goals: (1) firearm involvement (access, ownership, and use) during adolescence and young adulthood; (2) perpetration of firearm violence over time; and (3) patterns of firearm victimization (injury and mortality) over time. This study addressed the association between early involvement with firearms and firearm-firearm perpetration and victimization in adulthood.
The original sample included 1,829 randomly selected youth, 1,172 males and 657 females, then 10 to 18 years old, enrolled in the study as they entered the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center from 1995 to 1998. Among the sample were 1,005 African Americans, 524 Hispanics, and 296 non-Hispanic white respondents. Participants were tracked from the time they left detention. Re-interviews were conducted regardless of where respondents were living when their follow-up interview was due: in the community, correctional settings, or by telephone if they lived farther than two hours from Chicago.
Firearm Involvement of Parents and Their Adolescent Children: A Prospective Intergenerational Study of High-Risk Youth, Chicago, Illinois, 1995-2022 (ICPSR 38498)
This study contains data from the Northwestern Juvenile Project (NJP) series, a prospective longitudinal study of the mental health needs and outcomes of youth in detention.
The research team interviewed participants from the Northwestern Juvenile Project (NJP) (originally enrolled as they entered the Cook County Juvenile Temporary Detention Center from 1995 to 1998, and now parents ages 34-43 years) and their oldest child age 10 to 17 years when sampled, and leveraged data already collected on parents' firearm involvement--during their own adolescence and young adulthood for the NJP.
Incarceration and Subsequent Psychosocial Outcomes: A 16-Year Longitudinal Study of Youth After Detention, Chicago, Illinois, 2011-2015 (ICPSR 39578)
This study contains data from the Northwestern Juvenile Project (NJP) series, a prospective longitudinal study of the mental health needs and outcomes of youth in detention.
The purpose of this study was to examine the dose of incarceration and subsequent psychiatric and psychosocial functioning in 1,829 justice-involved youths in Chicago, Illinois 16 years after detention.
The study publication, "Incarceration and Subsequent Psychosocial Outcomes: A 16-Year Longitudinal Study of Youth After Detention", was published in April 2025 in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Juvenile Detention and Correctional Facility Census, 1971 (ICPSR 7637)
Juvenile Detention and Correctional Facility Census, 1977 (ICPSR 7758)
Juvenile Residential Facility Census, 2000-2010 -- Concatenated Data [United States] (ICPSR 27542)
Juvenile Residential Facility Census, 2000-2010 -- Concatenated State-Level Data [United States] (ICPSR 27546)
Juvenile Residential Facility Census, 2000 [United States] (ICPSR 4672)
Juvenile Residential Facility Census, 2002 [United States] (ICPSR 23520)
Juvenile Residential Facility Census, 2004 [United States] (ICPSR 25282)
Juvenile Residential Facility Census, 2006 [United States] (ICPSR 25981)
Juvenile Residential Facility Census, 2008 [United States] (ICPSR 34402)
Juvenile Residential Facility Census, 2010 [United States] (ICPSR 34449)
Juvenile Residential Facility Census, 2012 [United States] (ICPSR 36476)
The Juvenile Residential Facility Census (JRFC), which is conducted biennially, collects basic information on juvenile residential facility characteristics, including security, capacity and crowding, injuries and deaths in custody, and facility ownership and operation. The JRFC also includes questions about facility type (such as detention center, training school, ranch, or group home) and residential services provided by the facility (such as independent living, foster care, or other arrangements).
In 2012, the JRFC was divided into four sections:
- General facility information
- Events in the 30 days prior to the census reference date
- Deaths in the year prior to the census reference date
- Space shared with other facilities
Congress requires the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to report annually on the number of deaths of juveniles in custody; the JRFC gathers this information and offers a portrait of the nation's juvenile facilities. The census reference date was the fourth Wednesday in October.
Juvenile Residential Facility Census, 2014 [United States] (ICPSR 36512)
The Juvenile Residential Facility Census (JRFC), which is conducted biennially, collects basic information on juvenile residential facility characteristics, including security, capacity and crowding, injuries and deaths in custody, and facility ownership and operation. The JRFC also includes questions about facility type (such as detention center, training school, ranch, or group home) and residential services provided by the facility (such as independent living, foster care, or other arrangements), and detailed questions about mental health, substance abuse, and educational services provided to young persons.
In 2014, the JRFC was divided into seven sections:
- General facility information
- Mental health services
- Educational services
- Substance abuse services
- Events in the 30 days prior to the census reference date
- Deaths in the year prior to the census reference date
- Space shared with other facilities
Congress requires the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to report annually on the number of deaths of juveniles in custody; the JRFC gathers this information and offers a portrait of the nation's juvenile facilities. The census reference date was the fourth Wednesday in October.
Juvenile Residential Facility Census, 2016 [United States] (ICPSR 37197)
The Juvenile Residential Facility Census (JRFC), which is conducted biennially, collects basic information on juvenile residential facility characteristics, including security, capacity and crowding, injuries and deaths in custody, and facility ownership and operation. The JRFC also includes questions about facility type (such as detention center, training school, ranch, or group home) and residential services provided by the facility (such as independent living, foster care, or other arrangements), and detailed questions about mental health, substance abuse, and educational services provided to young persons.
In 2016, the JRFC was divided into seven sections:
- General facility information
- Mental health services
- Educational services
- Substance abuse services
- Events in the 30 days prior to the census reference date
- Deaths in the year prior to the census reference date
- Space shared with other facilities
Congress requires the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to report annually on the number of deaths of juveniles in custody; the JRFC gathers this information and offers a portrait of the nation's juvenile facilities. The census reference date was the fourth Wednesday in October.
Juvenile Residential Facility Census, 2018 [United States] (ICPSR 37953)
The Juvenile Residential Facility Census (JRFC), which is conducted biennially, collects basic information on juvenile residential facility characteristics, including security, capacity and crowding, injuries and deaths in custody, and facility ownership and operation. The JRFC also includes questions about facility type (such as detention center, training school, ranch, or group home) and residential services provided by the facility (such as independent living, foster care, or other arrangements), and detailed questions about mental health, substance abuse, and educational services provided to young persons.
In 2018, the JRFC was divided into seven sections:
- General facility information
- Mental health services
- Educational services
- Substance abuse services
- Events in the 30 days prior to the census reference date
- Deaths in the year prior to the census reference date
- Space shared with other facilities
Congress requires the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to report annually on the number of deaths of juveniles in custody; the JRFC gathers this information and offers a portrait of the nation's juvenile facilities. The census reference date was the fourth Wednesday in October.
Juvenile Residential Facility Census, 2020 [United States] (ICPSR 38914)
The Juvenile Residential Facility Census (JRFC), which is conducted biennially, collects basic information on juvenile residential facility characteristics, including security, capacity and crowding, injuries and deaths in custody, and facility ownership and operation. The JRFC also includes questions about facility type (such as detention center, training school, ranch, or group home) and residential services provided by the facility (such as independent living, foster care, or other arrangements), and detailed questions about mental health, substance abuse, and educational services provided to young persons.
In 2020, the JRFC was divided into eight sections:
- General facility information
- Mental health services
- Educational services
- Substance abuse services
- Events in the 30 days prior to the census reference date
- Deaths in the year prior to the census reference date
- Space shared with other facilities
- Coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19)
Congress requires the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to report annually on the number of deaths of juveniles in custody; the JRFC gathers this information and offers a portrait of the nation's juvenile facilities. The census reference date was the fourth Wednesday in October (October 28, 2020).
Juvenile Residential Facility Census, 2022 [United States] (ICPSR 39418)
The Juvenile Residential Facility Census (JRFC), which is conducted biennially, collects basic information on juvenile residential facility characteristics, including security, capacity and crowding, injuries and deaths in custody, and facility ownership and operation. The JRFC also includes questions about facility type (such as detention center, training school, ranch, or group home) and residential services provided by the facility (such as independent living, foster care, or other arrangements), and detailed questions about mental health, substance abuse, and educational services provided to young persons.
In 2022, the JRFC was divided into seven sections:
- General facility information
- Mental health services
- Educational services
- Substance abuse services
- Events in the 30 days prior to the census reference date
- Deaths in the year prior to the census reference date
- Space shared with other facilities
Congress requires the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) to report annually on the number of deaths of juveniles in custody; the JRFC gathers this information and offers a portrait of the nation's juvenile facilities. The census reference date was the fourth Wednesday in October (October 26, 2022).
A Multi-site Comparison of Risk Assessments within the Juvenile Justice System, 2007-2013 [United States] (ICPSR 34934)
These data are part of NACJD's Fast Track Release and are distributed as they were received from the data depositor. The files have been zipped by NACJD for release, but not checked or processed except for the removal of direct identifiers. Users should refer to the accompanying readme file for a brief description of the files available with this collection and consult the investigator(s) if further information is needed.
This study examined the validity, reliability, equity and cost of nine juvenile justice risk assessment instruments. It was designed to provide a comprehensive examination of how several risk assessments perform in practice. This study posed the following questions:
- Is each risk assessment instrument sufficiently reliable (i.e., inter-rater reliability) to ensure that decisions regarding level of risk and identified service needs are consistent across the organization?
- What specific risk assessment items are associated with less reliability? What items are rated reliably by staff?
- Is each risk assessment instrument valid? Specifically, what degree of discrimination is attained between assigned risk levels? Could the instrument be improved by adding or deleting specific factors and/or altering cut-off scores?
- Is each risk assessment instrument valid for population subgroups: White/Caucasian, Black/African American, Hispanic/Latino, females, probationers, and youth in aftercare status? Could equity be improved by adding or deleting specific factors or altering cut-off scores?
- What costs are associated with each risk assessment instrument?
The study collection includes 31 SPSS data files
- all_jais_combined.sav (n=1,141; 6 variables)
- ar_fire_final_file_ojjdp-ICPSR.sav (n=119; 205 variables)
- AR_yls_irr_FINAL-ICPSR.sav (n=155; 136 variables)
- azaoc_FINALFILE-ICPSR.sav (n=7,589; 438 variables)
- AZAOC_irr_FINAL-ICPSR.sav (n=458; 101 variables)
- AZDJC_FINAL_FILE-ICPSR.sav (n=1,265; 1,290 variables)
- AZDJC_irr_FINAL-ICPSR.sav (n=55; 120 variables)
- COMMITMENT_FINAL_SAMPLE2-ICPSR.sav (n=11,154; 719 variables)
- FinalDJJReleasesWithRecid_BothYears2-ICPSR.sav (n=90,818; 31 variables)
- FIRE_NE_COMM_FINAL_FILE_OJJDP-ICPSR.sav (n=597; 174 variables)
- fire_ne_probation_final-ICPSR.sav (n=1,077; 237 variables)
- FL_irr_FINAL-ICPSR.sav (n=519; 140 variables)
- GA_irr_FINAL-ICPSR.sav (n=509; 263 variables)
- gafire_boyscommunityALL_FINAL-ICPSR.sav (n=5,009; 781 variables)
- gafire_communityALLforretrofit2-ICPSR.sav (n=6,943; 666 variables)
- gafire_finalsampforanalysis_all-ICPSR.sav (n=7,412; 642 variables)
- gafire_finalsampforanalysis_girls-ICPSR.sav (n=2,005; 768 variables)
- jais_boys_wk_1-ICPSR.sav (n=1,989; 484 variables)
- jais_girls_wk_1-ICPSR.sav (n=745; 484 variables)
- NE_irr_FINAL-ICPSR.sav (n=727; 160 variables)
- OR_irr_FINAL-ICPSR.sav (n=477; 112 variables)
- ORE_FIRE_final-ICPSR.sav (n=12,370; 340 variables)
- PROBATION_FINAL_BOYS_ALL-ICPSR.sav (n=20,621; 837 variables)
- PROBATION_FINAL_GIRLS_ALL-ICPSR.sav (n=6,748; 849 variables)
- va_boyssample-ICPSR.sav (n=1,106; 1,273 variables)
- va_final_sample_fullscreen-ICPSR.sav (n=1,439; 1,237 variables)
- va_girlssample-ICPSR.sav (n=333; 1,256 variables)
- VA_irr_expert_FINAL-ICPSR.sav (n=10; 308 variables)
- VA_irr_worker_FINAL-ICPSR.sav (n=685; 308 variables)
- vafinalsample-ICPSR.sav (n=1,919; 1,200 variables)
- workersurveyfinal-ICPSR.sav (n=400; 69 variables)
National Survey of Juvenile Justice Professionals, 2005-2007 [United States] (ICPSR 26381)
National Survey of Youth in Custody, 2008-2009 (ICPSR 33942)
The National Survey of Youth in Custody (NSYC) is part of the BJS National Prison Rape Statistics Program to gather mandated data on the incidence of prevalence of sexual assault in juvenile facilities under the Prison Rape Elimination Act of 2003 (PREA; P.L. 108-79). The Act requires a 10 percent sample of juvenile facilities to be listed by incidence of sexual assault. Data are collected directly from youth in a private setting using audio computer-assisted self interview (ACASI) technology with a touch-screen laptop and an audio feed to maximize inmate confidentiality and minimize literacy issues. The first year of collection includes nearly 200 juvenile facilities, with an estimated 10,000 completed interviews with youth.
The NSYC utilized two questionnaires, based on the age of the respondent. The Older Youth questionnaire was administered to youths ages 15 and older, and the Younger Youth questionnaire was administered to those 14 and younger. The survey was divided into five sections. Section A collected background information, such as details of admission to facility and demographics including education, height, weight, race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, and history of any forced sexual contact. Section B, Facility Perceptions and Victimization, included respondents' opinions of the facility and staff, any incidence of gang activity, and any injuries that had occurred. Section C, Sexual Activity Within Facility, captured the types of sexual contact that occurred and the circumstances of sexual contact. Section D, Description of Events with Youth, and Section E, Description of Events with Staff Member, focused on when and where the contact occurred, the race and gender of the other youths or staff members, if threats or coersion were involved, and outcomes, included whether or not the sexual contact was reported.
Other variables include debriefing questions about respondents' experiences completing the survey, interviewer observations, created variables to summarize victimization reports (due to the complicated routing in Section C), weight and stratification data, and administrative data about the facilities.