NCJ Number
202931
Date Published
August 2002
Length
32 pages
Annotation
This report presents empirical findings from an examination of juvenile cases involving male and female domestic violence offenders in Florida to explore the situational contexts underlying recent increase in girls’ violent offending.
Abstract
Over the last decade, the increase in girls’ violent offending has caused tremendous concern and alarm. Research indicates a consistent theme in the prevalence of prior victimization in these violent girls. For example, prior research clearly shows that family violence played a major role in many girls’ initial and continued involvement in the juvenile justice system. This study, funded by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, attempts to gain a better understanding of girls’ violent offending through an examination of several research questions. It explores the role domestic violence plays in the violent offending of girls and whether this differs significantly from boys’ violent offending. This study relies on the Detention Risk Assessment Instrument (DRAI) to determine whether youths’ offenses involve domestic violence. Three major sources of data are incorporated in this research design: (1) all completed DRAI forms administered between January 2001 and February 2002; (2) placement and referral histories continued in Florida’s Juvenile Justice Information System (JJIS); and (3) 68 in-depth interviews with girls incarcerated in moderate-risk and high-risk residential commitment programs in Florida in 1998. The majority of the 20,118 juvenile referrals involved in the study were White, male offenders 15 years of age. The analyses revealed that nearly half of all violent felony referrals involving girls were domestic-violence related, compared to a quarter of the referrals involving boys. Female domestic violence offenders had the least prior delinquency involvement. Delinquent girls were more likely to be victims of prior physical or sexual abuse than male offenders. The study provides evidence that male and female juvenile offenders differ in their violent offending with girls more likely charged with acts of violence against family or household members than boys. It is recommended that future studies examine the legislative history of Florida’s domestic violence laws and further explore gender differences among the domestic violence offenders committed to secure detention. Tables and figures