Overview
Increasing
juvenile female arrests and the involvement of girls in at-risk and
delinquent
behavior has become a pervasive trend across the United States. According
to an analysis by the National Center for Juvenile Justice, females accounted
for 26% or 748,000 of the 2,838,300 juvenile arrests reported for 1997.
The juvenile Violent Crime Index arrest rate for females more than doubled
between 1987 1nd 1994, then fell in each of the next 3 years. The growth
in juvenile violent crime arrest rates between 1987 and 1994 was greater
for females than for males, and the decline after 1994 was less for females
than males. The female violent crime arrest rate for 1997 was 103% above
the 1981 rate, while the male arrest rate was 27% above the 1981 level.
These statistics illustrate that State and local juvenile justice agencies
must be better prepared to meet the unique needs of both at risk girls
and female juvenile offenders.This means that State and local juvenile
justice agencies must be better prepared to meet the unique needs of both
at-risk girls and female juvenile offenders.
.
On Monday, May 24, 1999,
the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency
Prevention hosted
a national satellite videoconference to discuss issues
regarding gender-specific
services for females. Nationally recognized
experts and service providers
discussed promising gender-specific
programming for juvenile
females that States and local jursidictions can
begin using immediately.
The National
Satellite Videoconference was designed for State and local juvenile
justice agency representatives, policy-makers, judges, law enforcement
officials, local youth service providers, youth program administrators
and others seeking to
implement prevention
and intervention programs which promote safe, healthy
and productive
youth.
The Audience
This broadcast was designed
for State and local juvenile justice agency representatives, policy-makers,
judges, law enforcement officials, local youth service providers, youth
program administrators and others seeking to implement prevention and intervention
programs which promote safe, healthy and productive youth.
The objectives
of the broadcast were to:
-
Provide a forum
for issues concerning female offenders in the juvenile justice system;
-
Examine various
approaches and promising program models for girls;
-
Describe resource
material available to support gender-specific programming.
Return
to What About the Girls archive. |
