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Average daily population in detention (total)
Provide custody and care of youth in secure and safe detention and placement facilities while providing casework services. — Assure that detention and placement facilities are safe and secure.
New York City's juvenile detention population has climbed steadily since Fiscal 2022. ACS's own performance reports attribute recent growth to a rise in arrests (including gun-violence cases) and to youth staying in detention much longer while their cases move through court — average length of stay grew from about 38 days in Fiscal 2021 to roughly 60 days in early Fiscal 2026. The longer-running increase also traces back to New York State's 2017 "Raise the Age" law and 2019 bail-reform changes, which shifted an older population facing more serious charges into the city's two juvenile detention centers, according to a city Department of Investigation report.
Researched July 15, 2026 — ACS, Fiscal 2025 Mayor's Management Report, ACS, Fiscal 2026 Preliminary Mayor's Management Report, CBS News New York, "New report details impact of bail reform at NYC juvenile detention centers"
* Year to date — this fiscal year isn't complete, so it's not compared against prior years in the target/trend status above.
View as table
| Fiscal year | Actual |
|---|---|
| FY22 | 170 people |
| FY23 | 233 people |
| FY24 | 278.9 people |
| FY25 | 336.4 people |
| FY26 (YTD) | 393.2 people |
Why this is tracked
Before 2012, New York City youth adjudicated as juvenile delinquents who didn't require secure confinement were often placed in New York State youth prisons far from home, facilities that cost over $200,000 per youth per year to run and had documented histories of dangerous and abusive practices, with more than 80% of released youth re-offending. Governor Andrew Cuomo signed the Close to Home legislation in March 2012, transferring custody of these youth from the state to ACS, which began operating non-secure facilities that fall. The goal was to keep young people connected to family, school, and community supports while still providing supervision and casework services, rather than warehousing them upstate.
NYC Opportunity - The Close to Home Initiative and Related Reforms, NYS Office of Children and Family Services - Close to Home
Source: Juvenile Detention Automated System, Division of Policy Planning and Measurement/Office of Research and Analytics — via NYC Open Data: Mayor's Management Report, Agency Performance Indicators
Coverage shown: FY22–FY26, reported monthly.
Definition: The number of youth in custody on an average day during the reporting period, including both secure and non-secure detention.