Few differences were observed in the demographic, emotional, and behavioral characteristics of 68 12–15 yr olds placed in public psychiatric hospital and corrections settings. Child Behavior Checklist scores for social competence and total problems were high and were quite similar for Ss in the 2 settings. White Ss (n = 34) scored significantly worse than Black Ss (n = 34) on Child Behavior Checklist Internalizing, Externalizing, and total problems in corrections settings but not in the psychiatric hospital. Moreover, race was the only variable that predicted the site in which youth were placed. There is a need to study the mental health service requirements of youngsters in nonmental health settings and the procedures by which youth are assigned to service settings.