Technical Assistance Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health

August 2005

Q: How are the needs of females in the juvenile justice system being met in a system created to deal with the needs of males?

When juvenile delinquency and crime among youth is discussed in the United States, the primary focus is on adolescent boys because that demographic typically has had the highest rate of offenses. Although boys outnumber girls in the juvenile justice system, female delinquency has accelerated rapidly in recent years. The growing number of females involved in the system has made it imperative that the system adjust to meet the unique needs of female delinquents.

Once juveniles enter the justice system, gender has to be taken into account and concessions must be made for the fact that females generally enter the system under very different circumstances than males. According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Program (OJJDP), the leading crimes for which females enter the justice system are simple assault, illegal substance abuse, or status offenses, such as running away or becoming involved in prostitution. Complex issues, such as victimization, substance abuse, mental health, and academic failure, are often present among those who commit status offenses; therefore, these offenders have a greater need for non-secure residential facilities or services within their communities, rather than assignment to high security juvenile correctional facilities. Unfortunately, the availability of these types of placements is scarce in the current juvenile justice system. From recent research we have learned that upwards of 70% of girls entering the juvenile justice system for secure detention have one or more diagnoses, even when you exclude conduct disorder (Teplin & Abram, 1999, 2000). Compounding this issue, few staff members in the established juvenile justice system receive specialized training to deal with issues that are specific to adolescent girls.

A number of gender-responsive or gender specific programs are being created to serve the increasing numbers of females in the juvenile justice system, including federally sponsored training. Joyce Burrell, TA Partnership’s Juvenile Justice Resource Specialist, served as a content consultant for the OJJDP-funded programming curriculum, “Gender Responsive Programming for Girls,” which is available on OJJDP’s website (www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/pubs).

The identification and general acceptance of the increased need in this area has encouraged inter-agency cooperation and the establishment of the Federal Working Group on Gender Issues. The agencies represented in the Working Group are OJJDP, the Office of National Drug Control Policy, and the U.S. departments of Justice, Education, and Health and Human Services. The Working Group has done extensive research into effective programs for females and has created gender-specific strategies to assist young women.

The term “gender-responsive” can sound a bit ambiguous at first glance, but the idea is that the system can not simply approach girls with the same prevention and intervention strategies as boys. Rather, programs should be developed specifically for girls based on the unique experiences of adolescent females and should integrate both the development issues as well as the risk factors for female delinquency. Features of gender-responsive programs can vary depending on the needs of the area’s population, but common themes prove effective in almost all gender responsive programs. Features can include: the creation of an environment committed to positive change; staffing the program with trained professionals to whom girls can relate through shared experiences; education and skills training; relationship building and mentoring; availability of a wide range of health services; and full family involvement. More detailed features can be found by researching gender-responsive programs available in your area.

To view a list of gender-responsive programs and their features, visit http://www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/pubs/principles/chart.html .

To view, curriculum guidelines for gender-responsive programs visit http://jabg.nttac.org/curriculum/gender.cfm. This curriculum can be used for enhancing services, ranging from community-based prevention programs to State institutions for girls. The site also lists recommended reading on the subject of female delinquency and helpful links.

(This FAQ was adapted from TA Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health’s Special Topics Column, http://www.tapartnership.org/specialtopics/Female_Delinquency.asp)

Home About Us About Systems of Care Contact Us Events & Presentations Newsletter Consultant Pool Special Topics Column Grantee Locator Webinars Resource Specialties Child Welfare Education Family Involvement Juvenile Justice Mental Health Primary Care Substance Abuse Sustainability Youth Involvement Regional Technical Assistance Region I Region II Region III Region IV Region V Region VI Communities of Practice Cultural and Linguistic Competence Early Childhood Transition-Aged Youth	Juvenile Justice and Systems of Care Frequently Asked Questions
	August 2005 Q: How are the needs of females in the juvenile justice system being met in a system created to deal with the needs of males? When juvenile delinquency and crime among youth is discussed in the United States, the primary focus is on adolescent boys because that demographic typically has had the highest rate of offenses. Although boys outnumber girls in the juvenile justice system, female delinquency has accelerated rapidly in recent years. The growing number of females involved in the system has made it imperative that the system adjust to meet the unique needs of female delinquents. Once juveniles enter the justice system, gender has to be taken into account and concessions must be made for the fact that females generally enter the system under very different circumstances than males. According to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Program (OJJDP), the leading crimes for which females enter the justice system are simple assault, illegal substance abuse, or status offenses, such as running away or becoming involved in prostitution. Complex issues, such as victimization, substance abuse, mental health, and academic failure, are often present among those who commit status offenses; therefore, these offenders have a greater need for non-secure residential facilities or services within their communities, rather than assignment to high security juvenile correctional facilities. Unfortunately, the availability of these types of placements is scarce in the current juvenile justice system. From recent research we have learned that upwards of 70% of girls entering the juvenile justice system for secure detention have one or more diagnoses, even when you exclude conduct disorder (Teplin & Abram, 1999, 2000). Compounding this issue, few staff members in the established juvenile justice system receive specialized training to deal with issues that are specific to adolescent girls. A number of gender-responsive or gender specific programs are being created to serve the increasing numbers of females in the juvenile justice system, including federally sponsored training. Joyce Burrell, TA Partnership’s Juvenile Justice Resource Specialist, served as a content consultant for the OJJDP-funded programming curriculum, “Gender Responsive Programming for Girls,” which is available on OJJDP’s website (www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/pubs). The identification and general acceptance of the increased need in this area has encouraged inter-agency cooperation and the establishment of the Federal Working Group on Gender Issues. The agencies represented in the Working Group are OJJDP, the Office of National Drug Control Policy, and the U.S. departments of Justice, Education, and Health and Human Services. The Working Group has done extensive research into effective programs for females and has created gender-specific strategies to assist young women. The term “gender-responsive” can sound a bit ambiguous at first glance, but the idea is that the system can not simply approach girls with the same prevention and intervention strategies as boys. Rather, programs should be developed specifically for girls based on the unique experiences of adolescent females and should integrate both the development issues as well as the risk factors for female delinquency. Features of gender-responsive programs can vary depending on the needs of the area’s population, but common themes prove effective in almost all gender responsive programs. Features can include: the creation of an environment committed to positive change; staffing the program with trained professionals to whom girls can relate through shared experiences; education and skills training; relationship building and mentoring; availability of a wide range of health services; and full family involvement. More detailed features can be found by researching gender-responsive programs available in your area. To view a list of gender-responsive programs and their features, visit http://www.ojjdp.ncjrs.org/pubs/principles/chart.html . To view, curriculum guidelines for gender-responsive programs visit http://jabg.nttac.org/curriculum/gender.cfm. This curriculum can be used for enhancing services, ranging from community-based prevention programs to State institutions for girls. The site also lists recommended reading on the subject of female delinquency and helpful links. (This FAQ was adapted from TA Partnership for Child and Family Mental Health’s Special Topics Column, http://www.tapartnership.org/specialtopics/Female_Delinquency.asp)

Juvenile Justice and Systems of Care Frequently Asked Questions