Girls in Detention

Abstract

This study examined the risk factors related to delinquency in an effort to describe the problem of rising female juvenile delinquency. It also examined the context of family environments in which female juvenile delinquents live. Using a triangulated methods approach, the data collected via focus group discussions with 30 female residents in a Regional Detention Center and 100 official intake records revealed that childhood maltreatment, parental incarceration, and school discipline problems were significant risk factors associated with delinquency. Focus group results also indicated that most female delinquents were victims of sexual and physical abuse. Many had family members who engaged in violence and alcohol and other substance use, and the girls themselves engaged in these activities at a young age. To address the growing problem of female delinquency and develop more effective intervention and prevention programs for girls, it is necessary to understand the importance of the family environment in which girls grow. Prevention and intervention programs should provide gender-specific services for girls as well as adequate services for their families.