Status offense cases were much less likely to involve detention than were delinquency cases. In 6% of the formally processed status offense cases disposed by juvenile courts in 1997, the juvenile was held in a detention facility at some point between referral to court and case disposition (table 54). Juveniles were detained in 11% of runaway cases, 7% of ungovernability cases and status liquor law violations, and 2% of cases involving truancy charges. Of the estimated 9,400 petitioned status offense cases involving detention in 1997, liquor law violation cases and runaway cases made up the greatest proportions (table 55).

The number of formal status offense cases that involved detention was 5% greater in 1997 than in 1993 and 11% greater in 1997 than in 1988 (table 56). Although the number of cases involving detention has declined within most status offense categories since 1988, it has substantially increased in the liquor and miscellaneous categories.