NCJ Number
226576
Date Published
June 2008
Length
27 pages
Annotation
This report on the Girls Study Group of the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) presents the findings of a literature review on research into gender similarities in risk and protective factors, the results of secondary data analysis, a review of screening and assessment instruments for girls, and a review of programs designed to prevent and reduce female delinquency.
Abstract
The review of research on gender similarities and differences in risk and protective factors found that girls and boys experience many of the same risks, but they differ in sensitivity to and rate of exposure to these risks. As a result, they may have different programming needs. Highlights from the secondary data analysis address trends in girls' violence as evidenced by arrests and self-reports, resilience factors for girls, the link between sexual abuse and female delinquency, and pathways to delinquency for girls. Highlights from the review of 143 screening and assessment instruments for girls show their inability to identify behaviors accurately and a tendency to produce inappropriate or misclassification. Only 3 out of 35 gender-appropriate risk assessment instruments were developed and tested across multiple jurisdictions. Fifty-one percent of the 143 instruments reviewed provided separate norms or scoring systems for girls or showed favorable gender analysis. The review of programs designed to prevent and reduce female delinquency found that out of 62 programs reviewed, 18 had been evaluated. None of the 18 programs met the criteria for being rated as "effective," "effective with reservation," or "ineffective." Four programs met the criteria for being rated as "promising" four met the criteria for a rating as "inconclusive evidence;" and 10 programs met the criteria for a rating as "insufficient evidence." Products from the Girls Study Group are listed.