NCJ Number
160228
Date Published
1996
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This chapter addresses the problems of young women in the juvenile justice system, including a description of who the female adolescent offender is, gender bias and stereotyping by correctional educators and administrators, and much-needed policy changes to ensure equitable programs.
Abstract
Young women in trouble with the law are an average of 16 years old, live in urban ghettos, are high school dropouts, and are victims of sexual and/or physical abuse or exploitation. Most come from single-parent families, have experienced foster care placement, lack adequate work and social skills, and are substance abusers. The differential treatment of females and males in the juvenile justice system begins with the schools, continues with law enforcement and the courts, and is perpetrated by the correctional system. Many delinquent females are locked up for running away from home as a result of physical and/or sexual abuse or exploitation. Many others suffer from low self-esteem, inequitable treatment in school from teachers and administrators, and inequitable programs during incarceration. The need for educational equity for these offenders is paramount. Teachers must begin to design curricula with females in mind and interact in a gender-free environment. Law enforcement officers must stop arresting females for running away and for other status offenses. Judges and magistrates must stop treating girls differently from boys in the length of confinement in detention and the length and types of sentences imposed. Correctional educators and other staff must begin to provide equitable programs and services for this adolescent female population. Only then will female juvenile offenders have the opportunity to develop the social and education/vocational skills to compete in the ever-changing technological world. 29 references, discussion questions, and suggested student applications of the chapter material