NCJ Number
136991
Date Published
1992
Length
10 pages
Annotation
This testimony of a representative of Girls Inc., before the U.S. House Subcommittee on Human Resources focuses on the need to upgrade services for female delinquents and females at risk of delinquency under the reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act.
Abstract
Girls Incorporated is a national network of approximately 300 centers located in 122 cities. Nationally, 2,500 professionals and 8,000 volunteers run local centers that operate programs designed to help girls address their problems and become successful adults. This statement by a representative of Girls Incorporated discusses the types of crimes and offenses committed by girls, reasons girls turn to delinquency, needed programs and services, and recommendations for the reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act. The statement advises that much that is available for young girls in most communities is purely recreational, with most of it developed according to a male model. The basic programming strategy should be to develop programs equally for young women and young men, along with gender-appropriate programming. For girls and young women, this means the development of programs that are sensitive to the particular pressures girls face and that provide the skills and resources girls need to cope in an inequitable world. Particular services needed by girls are basic education, sexuality and parenting training, career counseling, and training oriented to nontraditional jobs or those traditional jobs that pay adequate wages. The reauthorized Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act should increase funding for programs specifically designed to prevent delinquent behavior among young women. Appended policy statement on juvenile justice by Girls Incorporated