NCJ Number
89438
Date Published
1983
Length
30 pages
Annotation
Even though Missouri's juvenile justice system is poorly equipped to deal with the females it processes, it persists in bringing females under its jurisdiction for status offenses and confining them under the pretense of care and protection without adequate services to deal with their problems.
Abstract
Missouri statistics from 1980 show that girls are at least twice as likely as boys to be brought to court for status offenses (running away, truancy, curfew violations, etc.), and although their offenses are less serious, girls are more likely than boys to be detained and to be kept in custody longer. Girls are also more likely to get the harshest sanction. This differential treatment of girls is believed by juvenile justice officials, advocates, and researchers to stem from a pervasive philosophy that girls are particularly vulnerable to abuse and exploitation such that they require protection, even to the extent of confinement in stringent security settings. Girls also have a reputation, even among those involved in delinquent rehabilitation programs, as being especially troubled and troublesome, more difficult to work with than boys, and being more violent in treatment settings. There is also a stricter standard of acceptable behavior for girls, particularly with respect to rebellion and sexual activity. Many States and localities have made an effort to tailor programs to the needs of troubled girls while limiting occasions for intervention by the state, particularly through institutionalization. Missouri should do the same.