NCJ Number
186038
Date Published
July 2000
Length
6 pages
Annotation
Official statistics from Queensland, Australia, for 1998-99 formed the basis of an analysis of gender and juvenile delinquency with respect to the types of offenses for which young females are arrested and convicted.
Abstract
Results revealed that 79 percent of the juvenile offenders handled by the police were males. Twenty-six percent of the cases involving males and 15 percent of the cases involving females resulted in an arrest. Twenty-four percent of females and 35 percent of the males received either an attendance notice or summons; 60 percent of the females and 37 percent of the males experienced cautions. The types of offenses for which males and females received cautions were similar. Eighteen percent of the females’ charges handled by the court and 11 percent of males’ charges handled by the court involved offenses against the person, although females tended to receive lower penalties. Fifteen percent of the proven offenses for females and 7 percent of those for males were offenses against the person. The analysis concluded overall, significant similarities exist between male and female juvenile delinquency patterns, although females commit offenses at one-fifth the rate of males. Theses findings have relevance for the theoretical arguments developed around gender and youth criminality, but trends in Queensland may represent policy decisions rather than criminal activity. Therefore, further research should examine jurisdictional patterns of gender and criminality nationally to determine how different juvenile justice systems process young females and males. Tables, figures, and 9 references