NCJ Number
224588
Journal
The Future of Children Volume: 18 Issue: 2 Dated: Fall 2008 Pages: 119-142
Date Published
2008
Length
24 pages
Annotation
This article explores how the juvenile justice system is and should be responding to the adolescent female offender.
Abstract
Evidence is emerging that gender-specific treatment methods can be effective for female offenders, especially when treatment targets multiple aspects of offenders’ lives, including family and peer environments. Female delinquents have a high frequency of mental health problems, which suggests that prevention efforts should target the mental health needs of at-risk females before they result in chronic behavioral problems. Once girls with mental health problems come into the juvenile justice system, diverting them to community-based treatment programs should improve their individual outcomes while allowing the juvenile justice system to focus on those cases that pose the greatest risk to public safety. Despite general gender differences in the types of issues that must be addressed in treatment regimes, female offenders are not a homogeneous group, so treatment must ultimately be tailored to individual needs defined more specifically than by gender alone. Also, despite the many differences between male and female offending and criminogenic needs, many of the primary causes of offending are similar regardless of gender. The most effective policies for reducing crime for both males and females are those that foster development in a safe and nurturing environment throughout childhood. 4 figures and 114 notes