NCJ Number
245046
Journal
Crime and Delinquency Volume: 59 Issue: 4 Dated: June 2013 Pages: 536-561
Date Published
June 2013
Length
26 pages
Annotation
The purpose of this article is to report on findings that examined what at-risk and delinquent girls claim they want and need from correctional programs.
Abstract
Most arrests among girls are attributable to status offenses and property crimes; however, the number of girls arrested for assault and other violent crimes is increasing. Although arrest patterns among girls may be changing, the way the system responds has not. Correctional programs have almost always been designed with the male offender in mindignoring the needs of at-risk and delinquent girls. The paucity of gender-specific programming might have seemed acceptable in the past; however, academics and practitioners now agree that girls' needs can no longer be ignored. The purpose of this article is to (a) report on findings from a focus group study that examines what at-risk and delinquent girls claim they want and need from the system, (b) determine whether what the girls say they want is similar to what the literature says they need, and (c) provide practical recommendations that practitioners can use to improve the status of girls in their care. Abstract published by arrangement with Sage Journals.