NCJ Number
136971
Date Published
1992
Length
7 pages
Annotation
The director of a community-based center for high-risk girls between 14 and 18 years of age discusses female service needs in the juvenile justice system.
Abstract
Historically, services to girls have not been given adequate attention in the juvenile justice system, since girls represent a much smaller percentage of the delinquency population. When girls act out their problems, they often become self-destructive, run away, become involved in prostitution, have babies, or surrender their lives to men for attention and shelter. Girls are also victimized when they seek help because there are so few resources available to them. The 1974 Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act was intended to benefit girls who had been previously locked up in secure residential programs for less serious offenses and for longer periods than boys. Currently, however, too many girls live on the streets or in unhealthy, exploitative, or abusive environments because few services are available for them. Studies document the inequities of services between boys and girls and the perpetuation of a cycle of generational abuse, teen parenting, delinquency, and emotional dysfunction. The author's community-based center for girls opened in Jacksonville, Florida in 1985. It serves the needs of female status offenders, delinquents, dependents, dropouts, and pregnant or teen mothers. The center offers a comprehensive continuum of services that are specially designed to meet the unique needs of at-risk girls. Specific program components include education, life management, counseling, and community service. Based on her experience, the author recommends that the special needs of girls be addressed in the reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act.