Review of Female Delinquency (From Young Offenders Act: A Revolution in Canadian Criminal Justice, P 248-287, 1991, Alan W Leschied, Peter G Jaffe, et al, eds. -- See NCJ-134506)

• NCJ Number: 134519
• Author(s): M Reitsma-Street
• Date Published: 1991
• Length: 40 pages
• Sale Source: University of Toronto Press
• Publication Type: Survey
• Language: English
• Country: Canada

Annotation

Literature on female juvenile delinquents in Canada, the United States, England, and other western industrial societies in the 19th and 20th centuries forms the basis of this analysis of female delinquency and the impact of Canada's Young Offenders Act.

Abstract

Over time and place, female delinquency has consistently been infrequent and distinctly nonviolent. Similarly, self-report studies show that females most often report minor property crime and alcohol and drug law offenses. Case studies, surveys, longitudinal studies, and contextual research have failed to show a clear distinction between those committing offenses and those who do not. However, it indicates that analyzing how sex is turned into gender appears fundamental to understanding female delinquency and conformity. The research also shows that societies are very effective in preventing female juvenile delinquency, that they have minimalist responses to most female delinquents, and that they have often practiced blatant and systematic discrimination against female delinquents. Little is known about the effectiveness of prevention or intervention programs for females. However, Canada's Young Offenders Act is unlikely to change the handling of Canadian female delinquents. Tables, notes, and 194 references