Part of Juvenile Probation Department Data Portal
Admissions to Juvenile Hall represent the number of youth detained as a result of an arrest. The percentage of referrals (i.e., arrests) resulting in an admission declined from 52% in 2020 to 37% in 2023.
Boys and youth of color, particularly Black youth, are overrepresented in admissions. Youth who live outside of San Francisco represent a large percentage of admissions. Out of county youth accounted for 43% of admissions in 2023.
On average, 72% of admissions from 2020-2023 were required by state law (“mandatory”). For new law violations for which detention was required by state law, robbery was the most common offense.
Admissions by Month
Data notes and sources
Data notes and sources
The bars on this chart reflect the number of admissions to Juvenile Hall per month. The line reflects the average percentage of admissions that were mandatory admissions over the time period selected. For the exact percentage of mandatory admissions per year, see the Admissions by Reason dashboard.
The following scenarios are categorized as Mandatory Admissions because, pursuant to state law, they require youth be held in secure detention until they can appear before a judge:
- New law violations: When a youth aged 14 or older is arrested for the personal use of a firearm in the attempt or commission of a felony OR when a youth aged 14 or older is arrested for any offense listed in WIC 707(b), such as murder, robbery, rape, and assault.
- Warrants/court orders: When a young person is brought into custody on a court order or warrant.
- Transfer-ins: When a young person is transferred in custody from county jail or another county/jurisdiction.
Admissions by Demographics
Data notes and sources
Data notes and sources
The bars on the bar & line chart reflect the number of admissions to Juvenile Hall per year. The line reflects the percentage of referrals (i.e., arrests) that resulted in an admission to Juvenile Hall each year.
The remaining charts reflect the demographic composition of admissions to Juvenile Hall by Gender, Race/Ethnicity, and Age for the time period selected.
Demographic groups with sample sizes < 11 youth in a given year are grouped into larger categories (e.g., Other Race, < 15, 18+).
Admissions by Residence
Data notes and sources
Data notes and sources
The bars on the bar & line chart reflect the number of admissions to Juvenile Hall per year. The line reflects the percentage of admissions to Juvenile Hall associated with youth who reside out of county.
The remaining residence charts reflect where youth who are admitted to Juvenile Hall live. Cases missing residential information are excluded from all residence-related statistics.
The Residence chart reflects all admissions for which residential information is available. The Districts for SF Residence chart reflects only admissions for youth who live in San Francisco. Zip codes were grouped into approximate district or district groupings to prevent reidentification, particularly in zip codes with very few admissions. Zip codes were grouped as follows:
- Districts 1 – 3: 94104, 94105, 94108, 94109, 94111, 941115, 94118, 94121, 94123, 94129, 94133
- Districts 4, 7, 8, & 11: 94112, 94114, 94116, 94117, 94122, 94127, 94131, 94132
- Districts 5 & 6: 94102, 94103, 94130
- District 9: 94134, 94110
- District 10: 94124, 94107
As necessary, Districts were grouped into larger geographic regions in order to limit sample sizes smaller than 11 and enable comparisons over time.
The County for Out of County Residence chart reflects only admissions for youth who live out of county.
Admissions by Reason
Data notes and sources
Data notes and sources
The bars on the bar & line chart reflect the number of admissions to Juvenile Hall per year. The line reflects the percentage of admissions to Juvenile Hall that were mandatory, pursuant to state law.
The remaining charts reflect the reason why a youth was admitted to Juvenile Hall. There can be multiple reasons why a young person is detained for a given admission. Therefore, they have been ranked in order of importance to determine the primary detention reason. The order of definitions displayed below reflect the ranking.
The following scenarios are categorized as Mandatory Admissions because, pursuant to state law, they require youth be held in secure detention until they can appear before a judge:
- New law violations: When a youth aged 14 or older is arrested for the personal use of a firearm in the attempt or commission of a felony OR when a youth aged 14 or older is arrested for any offense listed in WIC 707(b), such as murder, robbery, rape, and assault.
- Warrants/court orders: When a young person is brought into custody on a court order or warrant.
- Transfer-ins: When a young person is transferred in custody from county jail or another county/jurisdiction.
The following were Non-Mandatory Admissions, or additional reasons why youth may have been detained until March 2023 when JPD transitioned from the DRI (Detention Risk Instrument) to the DDT (Detention Decision-Making Tool):
- DRI score: When a young person scores 11 or higher on the Detention Risk Instrument (DRI). The DRI is a decision-making tool based on a model created by the Juvenile Detention Alternative Initiative (JDAI) by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The DRI assisted in determining whether a youth would be detained or be cited and released.
- Automatic detention: When a youth returns from a placement and a non-secure detention option is not available.
- Other jurisdiction hold: When another agency requests the temporary detention of a youth.
- DRI override When a young person’s DRI score is associated with a release recommendation that is overridden by the On Duty Officer. Approval from the Director of Probation Services or the Senior Supervising Probation Officer is needed to override a DRI score.
As of March 2023, the following are Non-Mandatory Admissions, or additional reasons why youth may be detained:
- Felony firearm offense: When a youth is arrested for felony firearm use or possession.
- No non-secure option available: When a young person returns from a placement and a non-secure detention option is not available or when a young person’s parent or guardian is not available or willing and a non-secure detention option is not available.
- Detain with supervisor approval: When a young person’s DDT Outcome is a release recommendation and the On Duty Officer seeks approval to detain from the Assistant Chief Probation Officer or Director of Probation Services.
- Other jurisdiction hold: When another agency requests the temporary detention of a youth.
Offense for New Law Violations reflects the most serious charge for admissions for New Law Violations.
Admissions by Youth Admitted
Data notes and sources
Data notes and sources
These charts reflect unique youth admitted to Juvenile Hall per year. This means that no matter how many times a youth is detained during a calendar year (January 1 – December 31), they will only be counted once. In contrast, prior charts in this section are at the admission-level, meaning unique youth will be reflected multiple times in the statistics if they were admitted more than once.
The clustered bar chart compares the total number of admissions to the total number of unique youth admitted each calendar year.
Remaining charts reflect the recurrence and frequency of youth being admitted to Juvenile Hall. Number of Admissions reflects the number of times a young person was admitted to Juvenile Hall during a calendar year. First Admission reflects whether their first admission was during the selected calendar year, or if they had been detained prior. First Admission data is unavailable prior to 2022.