Why Are Boys More Likely to Be Referred to Juvenile Court? Gender Differences in Official and Self-Reported Delinquency

Abstract

This research aimed to investigate explanations of gender differences in referrals to juvenile court. In the Seattle Social Development Project, a prospective longitudinal survey of 808 youths, annual data on court referrals and self-reported offending were collected between ages 11 and 17. Boys were more likely than girls to be referred to juvenile court, and boys committed more offenses than girls according to self-reports. In general, the probability of a self-reported offense being followed by a court referral was similar for boys and girls, indicating that male offenders were more likely to be referred to court primarily because they committed more offenses than female offenders. The exception was that boys were more likely to be referred to court after each aggressive offense, but this gender difference disappeared after taking into account that boys were more rebellious, more likely to be gang members, and more likely to carry guns. These results suggest that gender differences in rates of court referral are unlikely to be attributable to gender biases in law enforcement or juvenile justice processing.