NCJ Number
249245
Date Published
October 2015
Length
10 pages
Annotation
After identifying the risk factors that have led to the growing proportion of girls and young women involved in the juvenile justice system, this paper reviews the policies and resources of the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP's) for addressing the needs of this population.
Abstract
Currently, nearly 30 percent of juveniles arrested are girls or young women; their share of arrests, detainment, and court cases has steadily increased over the past two decades. Factors in these girls lives that have increased their risk for involvement with the juvenile justice system include experiences of violence; trauma; poverty; and racial, ethnic, and gender bias. OJJDP's policy is to process girls through the juvenile justice system only when they pose a serious threat to public safety. In managing this small proportion of girls and young women, OJJDP is committed to reducing reliance on secure placement while increasing gender-related and culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and developmentally appropriate programs and services for this population. The overall prevention approach of OJJDP is a national commitment to creating healthy social environments with family, peers, community, and educational institutions. OJJDP resources for enabling these efforts include technical assistance, grants, research, and data collection that are available to States, tribes, and local communities. The features of each of these resources are briefly described in this paper. Specifically, OJJDP has identified eight focus areas for funneling its resources to States, tribes, and localities. These focus areas are briefly described. 21 notes