NCJ Number
188045
Journal
Crime and Delinquency Volume: 47 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2001 Pages: 173-195
Editor(s)
Ronald E. Vogel
Date Published
April 2001
Length
23 pages
Annotation
This study examines the degree to which gender differences affect the treatment of juveniles in Hawaii’s juvenile court. Particular focus is placed on the role that gender plays in the administration of court processing, taking into consideration issues of ethnicity and geographic location.
Abstract
This study presents a multiyear empirical examination of gender bias in the handling of juvenile court cases in Hawaii. Based on prior qualitative and quantitative studies that found evidence of gender bias, it is hypothesized that once female juvenile offenders are found delinquent, they will be sanctioned more severely than male offenders by the juvenile court, holding other factors constant. Data was collected by the Hawaii State Judiciary. The data consisted of all family court case records in the State of Hawaii from 1980 to 1991. The data suggests support for girls receiving equal treatment at earlier stages of the process (petitioning and adjudication) but at disposition, girls were more likely to receive harsh dispositions for relatively minor offenses. The study suggest that girls who come into the juvenile justice system in Hawaii often experience “partial justice”. The research results suggest that the court has particular difficulty with persistent female defiance, specifically involving running away from home. The study further provided evidence relating to the issue of disproportionate minority confinement across gender and the diversity of the population that the juvenile justice system must serve. In Hawaii, an increasing number of girls of color are drawn into the juvenile justice system, whereas their white counterparts are diverted. These results highlight the need for programs to be culturally specific as well as gender specific. In summation, the challenge that confronts academics and policy makers in the juvenile justice system is to take what is known about girls’ development, the influence of culture, and the ways in which girls’ problems evolve into delinquent behavior to craft appropriate policies that address gender equity in processing and programming. References