Arizona has a higher percentage of nonviolent youths in custody than almost any state in the nation, and recidivism rates show that many will be back in the system within three years of their release.

At the same time, Arizona's rates of teens giving birth and teen deaths continue to worsen even as gains are made in other states.

These are among the findings in the Annie E. Casey Foundation's latest Kids Count Data Book, an annual report on child well-being.

"We definitely have not paid a lot of attention to teens," said Dana Wolfe Naimark, president and CEO of the Phoenix-based Children's Action Alliance. "And we're seeing the results."

Arizona ranks 39th overall, according to the report, down from 36th in 2007.

The threat of a lawsuit in 2004 after three suicides forced reforms to Arizona's three juvenile lockups, including suicide-proof housing units and improvements in training, staffing, health care and education.

But the report shows that more than three-fourths of juveniles in custody in 2006, including those in county detention facilities, were being held for nonviolent offenses.

And according to Maricopa County records, nearly half of the 449 youths held by the state Department of Juvenile Corrections during fiscal 2006-07 were there for probation violations.

Separate data from the department show that 48 percent of the more than 800 teens who were released from custody in 2003 were back in the system three years later, including almost 25 percent in adult prison.

"We simply need more alternatives to detention," said Tom Hutchinson, executive vice president for programs for New Leaf, which runs Mesa's Mayfield Youth Center.

At Mayfield, teens can cool off for an afternoon or evening, get crisis counseling and begin a plan with their parents for how to get back on track.

The center typically sees "status offenders," kids who violate such laws as curfew, truancy and possession of alcohol - which are only crimes for juveniles. They may be referred by schools, police and the courts, and sometimes by their own parents.

The idea is to help troubled kids and families in the least restrictive environment and avoid detention or lockup. It's bolstered in part by studies that show juveniles who are incarcerated have a better chance of getting in trouble again and dropping out of school.

"We're more of a port in the storm for kids and families in crisis," Hutchinson said. "We take time out, think through what's going wrong, make a plan, develop a support system, and then go on with things."

By coordinating with the Mesa Unified School District, local police, juvenile court and other agencies, such as the East Valley Child Crisis Center, the Mayfield Center can marshal resources around teens and their families.

About 60 percent of youths referred to the center have no more contact with the juvenile justice system. Among those who do, Mayfield said, they typically have fewer offenses.

But there aren't enough programs like Mayfield, advocates say, so the juvenile court ends up as the default.

At the same time, schools - squeezed by higher expectations and fewer resources - are sending more kids to juvenile programs.

"A lot of kids end up in the juvenile justice system because other systems fail them," Naimark said. "A lot of referrals that used to be handled in schools are going to the juvenile justice system."

In fact, schools are the second-highest source of complaints to the county's juvenile court, after the Phoenix Police Department. Mesa police are third.

Last year, Mike Matwick saw 3,000 kids go through his alternative Pinnacle Education schools in the East Valley, Casa Grande and Nogales, all of them juggling a lot of issues.

"They may be in school, then in corrections, then in rehab," he said. "It's not an easy flow for the kids to move from location to location."

They lose school credits and need to forge relationships with probation officers, therapists and other adults to help them through the bureaucracy. Oftentimes, they're on their own, without parental support, and it's easy for them to give up, Matwick said.

"All they need is that one person they can connect to, who's going to be with them constantly," he said.

Matwick said he's not surprised by statistics in the Kids Count report showing a significant increase in the rate of deaths for 15- to 19-year-olds.

He attributed much of it to unabated use of alcohol and drugs.

The death rate rose from 79 deaths per 100,000 teens in 2000 to 87 deaths five years later, ranking Arizona 40th in the nation. The national rate in 2005 was 65 deaths.

More recent state data show the teen death rate went up even more in 2006, to 94 deaths per 100,000 15- to 19-year-olds.

The numbers mirror a national trend showing an increase in violence among young people, including suicide and homicide, after years of declines.

The birth rate for teens is also on the rise again after a 10-year decline, though the 2005 rate of 58 births for every 100,000 15- to 19-year-olds is still well below rates of a decade ago.

Arizona ranks 46th among the 50 states in the teen birth rate, the same as last year.