APRIL2002

Are there specific characteristics or patterns of behavior that are predictors of trouble and a higher likelihood of future involvement with the juvenile justice system for an adolescent girl?

There is a significant body of research on adolescent girls in or entering the juvenile justice system today.

Adolescent girls are entering the system at alarming rates and with very special needs, which can be very different from the needs of boys. Studies in Los Angeles County, CA, Philadelphia, PA, and across the state of Florida show the following to be indicators of girls in trouble or at high risk of involvement in delinquent activity:

1. sexually active before the age of 18 (yes, 18)

2. major family disorganization*

3. victims of sexual abuse (often family related)** 

4. victims of physical abuse** 

5. victims of emotional abuse** 

6. school failure, especially in the middle school years 

7. truancy, especially truancy starting in the middle school years 

8. running away 

9. suicide attempts 

10. exposure to domestic violence as a victim or witness 

11. substance abuse (cigarettes, alcohol, and other drugs) 

12. recent loss(es) of loved one(s) 

13. a mother with a history of substance abuse 

14. a history of previous involvement in the system that manages child abuse and neglect 

15. a history of mental health problems 

16. low involvement in extracurricular and/or age-appropriate, supervised community activities 

17. perceiving little or no caring or trust from parent(s) 

18. major disruption in education because of expulsion or suspension(s), especially between age 12 and age 15 

19. preoccupation with perfection, especially in body image and performance

It is essential that we thoroughly assess the adolescent female's needs and that together with her we prioritize her need and competencies, constantly building on her strengths.

Since adolescent girls are not adult women, it is critical that we assess what is going on in the environment they negotiate every day - at home, at school and in the community. If home is the problem, the adolescent female has a dilemma that adult females do not have. If the adolescent runs away, she can be charged as a status offender. Often the adolescent female will not fully disclose what is really going on in a first interview. Therefore it is critical that we listen as actively as we possibly can, following up on leads she verbalizes or demonstrates through her body language. It is important that staff be culturally responsive and that they create a safe environment for adolescent females to report abuses of any kind.

In our efforts to design or find programs and services that meet the needs of girls, it is essential that we directly address the needs they present individually, especially if those needs might be a result of any of the above-referenced indicators of risk. It is critically important that both programs and services be developmentally sound and evidence-based. It is very important that time be included for girls to talk. Relationships are very important to adolescent girls; they need to feel connected to other people. When adults listen intently and allow them to share their experience, they help adolescent girls to develop these relationships and connections.

There are important messages that girls need to hear from adults they trust. Certain values, such as achieving and staying in school and staying away from illegal substances, alcohol, and cigarettes, must be stressed and rewarded. Adults should also celebrate the girls' successes, whether large and small. Most of the girls we see in the juvenile justice system have not had the opportunity to celebrate the importance of living on this earth, of contributing to their well-being and that of their peers, or knowing and celebrating their history. This places an extra burden on service providers, like those working in and with grantee communities, to make certain that the girls they are helping recognize their importance and place in their community and the world.

*Major family disorganization may be the result of a death, intergenerational incarceration, major illness/hospitalization, poverty, etc.

**Serious violence indicator

References:

"Justice By Gender", The American Bar Association http://www.abanet.org/crimjust/juvjus Prescott, Laura, "Improving Policy and Practice for Adolescent Girls with Co-Occurring Disorders in the Juvenile Justice System ", 1998.