Unaccompanied Juveniles in INS Custody
Report Number I-2001-009
September 28, 2001
Unaccompanied Juvenile Data
IN FY 2000 the Juvenile Program held 4,136 unaccompanied juveniles in custody. Presented below is a demographic description of this unaccompanied juvenile population. In addition, data on the length of time juveniles spent in custody, the principal apprehension locations, data on instances of secure detention, and the length of time juveniles spent in secure detention is provided.
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Demographics of the Unaccompanied Juveniles
In the Custody of the Juvenile Program, FY 2000
Based on first custody event for 4,136 juveniles in custody for greater than 72 hours. 3,113 (75.3%) Male; 1,023 (24.7%) Female
Average age 15.3 years old; Median age 16 years old Country of Origin:
Top five countries represent 82.8 percent of the cases; |
Time in custody for specific populations
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Length of Time in Custody By Category
Based on 3,172 unaccompanied juveniles apprehended after September 30, 1999 and released before October 1, 2000. All juveniles: Mean 33.4 days
Juveniles not Requiring Home Assessments: Mean 28.9 days
Juveniles Who Had Home Assessments (Chinese and Indians): Mean 146 days
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Apprehension locations for the juveniles
Apprehension Locations
Based on 4,136 juveniles detained in FY 2000 for over 72 hours
These top five locations represent 52.1 percent of the cases.
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Instances and Duration of Secure Detention
In FY 2000, 1,414 (34.2 percent) of the unaccompanied juveniles in custody were housed in a secure facility at one point during their stay. These 1,414 juveniles represented 1,933 instances of secure detention. 43
| Reason for Secure Detention | Number of Instances | Percentage of Instances |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary Stays Safety or Security Adults, Juvenile Delinquents |
1,147 422 364 |
59 22 19 |
| Source: FY 2000 JAMS Database |
The length of time in secure detention varies substantially depending upon the reason for placement. Juveniles temporarily placed in secure detention are generally there for a very short time before they are transferred to a shelter.
| Reason for Secure Detention | Average Length of Detention | Median Length of Detention |
|---|---|---|
| Temporary Stays Safety or Security Adults, Juvenile Delinquents |
14 days 29 days 37 days |
3 days 14 days 25 days |
| Source: FY 2000 JAMS Database |
Juvenile-Days of Detention
In FY 2000, the Juvenile Program housed 200,361 juvenile-days of detention. Of these, 158,114 were non-secure juvenile-days (78.9 percent) and 42,247 were juvenile-days of secure detention (21.1 percent). Of the 42,247 juvenile-days of secure detention, 13,367 were for adults, or juvenile delinquents; 16,655 were for temporary stays; and 12,225 were for safety or security.
For every instance in JAMS, there is a book-in date and a book-out date. The difference between book-out and book-in dates represents the total man-days of detention for that instance. We added up the total number of man-days of detention for each reason for secure (or non-secure) detention to arrive at the totals below.
| Total juvenile-days of detention: Non-secure juvenile-days: Secure juvenile-days: Adults, juvenile delinquents: Temporary stays: Safety or security: |
200,361 158,114 42,247 13,367 16,655 12,225 |
78.9% 21.1% 6.7% 8.3% 6.1% |
| Source: FY 2000 JAMS Database |
Limited Use of Foster Care
The INS had 36 foster beds with options for additional beds on a space available basis at three facilities. The INS uses foster beds for housing very young juveniles, girls, and juveniles in long-term detention because they do not have a sponsor.
The INS has had negative experiences with foster care. In the early 1990s, in one case, 130 Chinese juveniles were placed in foster care. More than 100 of these juveniles left the homes without notification. The INS cannot account for them. Because of this experience, the INS has restricted using foster care considerably.
INS managers stated several reasons for not expanding the use of foster care: the safety of juveniles smuggled into the United States, the welfare of juveniles placed in foster care, the desire of the juveniles to speak to someone in their native language, and ease of management. In foster care settings, juveniles are frequently alone without supervision, vulnerable to exploitation and abuse by smugglers. INS managers believe shelter care can provide closer and better supervision of juveniles with greater opportunity for shelter staff to respond to any physical or psychological problems of the juveniles. Shelter care and group homes provide juveniles a better opportunity to speak with staff in their native language and to interact with other juveniles who shared similar experiences. Finally, the managers stated that it is more difficult to manage and adequately supervise foster care beds.
Follow-up After Release
The INS makes follow-up contacts with the Chinese and Indian juveniles following their release to sponsors in the United States. The INS contracts with two volunteer agencies to conduct home assessments and follow-up reviews. The follow-up reviews consist of a minimum of four face-to-face visits at 14, 30, 60 and 90 days after release. The first and last visits are conducted in the sponsor's home. In addition, a checklist is completed at 14 days and reports are submitted to the INS at 45 and 90 days.
Follow-up visits to sponsors ensure that: the juvenile is safe and secure, the juvenile continues to reside in the home, the quality and arrangements in the home have not changed since placement, the juvenile is attending school, and the juvenile is not working. This last requirement is important because Chinese juveniles are pressured to work in order to pay off the debt owed to smugglers.