Juvenile Justice Journal, Volume VI, Number 1 (Focus on Girls Issue)

• NCJ Number: 178254
• Journal: Juvenile Justice Volume: 6 Issue: 1 Dated: October 1999 Pages: 1-34
• Author(s): Leslie Acoca; Marian D. Daniel; LaWanda Ravoira
• Date Published: October 1999
• Length: 40 pages
• Publication Series: OJJDP Juvenile Justice Journal
• Agencies: OJJDP
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description

Annotation

The three featured articles of this journal focus on a 21st century strategy for investing in girls, the work of Maryland's Female Intervention Team, and the operations of the National Girls' Caucus, an effort to ensure equitable treatment for girls in the juvenile justice system.

Abstract

In describing a strategy for the healthy development of girls in the 21st century, the opening article discusses the characteristics of girls at risk of entering the juvenile justice system. Such girls have typically experienced some type of abuse, including physical, sexual, or emotional abuse; family fragmentation; school failure; health and mental health problems; and early minor delinquencies. Also discussed in this article are the paucity of programs for girls and the impact of recent legislation, Federal and State partnerships, the juvenile justice processing of girls, early intervention for preadolescent girls, and the preservation of family ties. The second article describes the work of the Maryland Department of Juvenile Justice's Female Intervention Team, which focuses on assessing the needs of female juvenile offenders and developing gender-specific programs to meet those needs. In profiling the efforts of the National Girls' Caucus, the third article describes how this program has emerged to ensure the equitable treatment for girls in the juvenile justice system by initiating gender-specific programming; lobbying for more resources for such programming; countering gender, ethnic, and racial biases in the justice system; and raising public awareness about the need for gender-appropriate programming and services for girls. References are provided for each article.