There are 23 juvenile detention centers in the state of Pennsylvania

There are just over 20,000 juvenile delinquents in these facilities

Are 20,000 annual detention admissions a lot?
Not compared with some states, such as
Florida—which, with an under-18 population
only about 25% larger than Pennsylvania’s,
admitted 50,000 youths to secure detention in
one recent year, meaning that its per capita
admissions rate was about twice
Pennsylvania’s. But a lot compared to
Vermont, which makes do with a single 14-bed
secure detention unit for the whole state; with
total admissions of only 384 last year,6
Vermont’s per capita admissions rate was
hardly more than one-third of Pennsylvania’s.