Residential Group Care Facilities for Children and Youth in the United States, 1965 and 1981: An Analysis of Change Over Time

• NCJ Number: 136351
• Author(s): M M Dore; R M Young; D M Pappenfort
• Date Published: 1982
• Length: 60 pages
• Grant Number(s): 81-JS-AX-0036
• Sponsoring Agency: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP)
• Corporate Author: University of Chicago
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: National Survey of Residential Group Care Facilities for Children and Youth, Report No. 1

Annotation

This report examines changes that have taken place between 1965 and 1981 in residential facilities for children and youth with special problems and needs.

Abstract

The analysis used data from two previous reports that compiled data reported by State agencies that licensed, operated, or otherwise related to residential group care facilities. It focused on five types of care: (1) maternity care of pregnant adolescents, (2) child welfare, (3) juvenile justice, (4) mental health, and (5) drug abuse. Results revealed that residential care is no longer the preferred method of serving pregnant adolescents and that the proportion of facilities for dependent, neglected, or abused children or youth declined from 55 percent of all residential facilities in 1965 to 37 percent in 1981. In addition, residential juvenile justice facilities increased by 154 percent; mental health facilities more than quadrupled; and specialized residential facilities were developed for the treatment of drug abuse among children and youth. Moreover, facility sizes reduced, with new facilities offering care for 7 to 50 residents each. The three main principles affecting service delivery during this period were normalization, deinstitutionalization, and the right to treatment. Tables and appended methodological information and results.