The Gendered Context of System Experience and its Impact on Girls in the Juvenile Justice System

As girls are becoming a rising share of the juvenile justice population, responses have not focused on applying the pathways research and context for girls’ offenses. This study examined the ways girls described the context for their justice system involvement (arrest, probation, court). Using grounded theory, this research elevates the experiences of 32 participants, girls ages 13-18 who were incarcerated in commitment programs in Florida. The findings of this grounded theory suggest that the gendered context of girls’ system involvement includes her lived experiences, coping strategies, delinquent behaviors, as well as her system experiences. Regardless of her path into the juvenile justice system, the common theme shared by girls was unfairness in the process and feeling judged or silenced. This theoretical framework provides further evidence that when the context of girls’ experiences are not taken into account and coping behaviors are criminalized, further disconnection, distrust and gendered strain are experienced by the girls. Experiencing additional strain from people who she believes have power to make decisions (e.g., child welfare investigators, police, defense attorneys, probation officers, judges) is an added layer to understand her gendered experience. The emerging theory places girls and their reactions to system experiences at the center of the gendered context theory equation. The theory can be further tested to see if the extent of disconnect between girls’ expectations and system response impacts girls outcomes and if there are differences by gender. Given the context of girls’ lived experiences, the findings have critical implications for further research, new measures of gendered strain, and challenge systems to assess the impact of their policies, practices, and training of decision-makers

Sounding the Alarm: Criminalization of Black Girls in Florida

More than 300,000 Black girls attend K–12 public schools across Florida. Black girls represent about one in five girls, although this varies by location. It is imperative to consider data by race and ethnicity within gender to better understand differences in girls' experiences. The data illuminate ongoing systemic failures and criminalizing responses that put the overall well-being of Black girls at risk. This research brief is sounding the alarm about the experiences of Black girls, who are disproportionately impacted by the education and juvenile justice systems. Disparate responses across systems increase risk of exclusion, criminalization, and system involvement. This is a pressing priority that calls for transformational reforms.

Urgent Work: Developing a Gender- Responsive Approach for Girls in the Juvenile Justice System

Este artículo revisa la prevalencia de niñas en el Sistema de Justicia Juvenil de Estados Unidos, compara las tasas de encarcelamiento nacional e internacional y examina las necesidades de un perfil de las niñas involucradas. Los autores ofrecen su modelo como ejemplo para desarrollar una aproximación dirigida al género femenino en el Sistema de Justicia, incluyendo una descripción de su operacionalización en una comunidad de los Estados Unidos. En los desarrollos críticos y la emergencia de oportunidades para cada uno de los componentes del modelo, se destacan: la promoción legislativa y las políticas, el modelo de programación, la educación pública, la capacitación y asistencia técnica, las herramientas sensibles al género, los sistemas de responsabilidad y la evaluación. Las lecciones aprendidas se presentan como plataforma para la interlocución sobre la manera en que la comunidad internacional puede, en forma individual, evaluar necesidades y recursos, y trabajar conjuntamente para dar una mejor respuesta a las niñas. El artículo concluye con recomendaciones para escoger, evaluar e implementar mejores prácticas para una reforma significativa.This paper reviews the prevalence of girls in the U.S. juvenile justice system, compares national and international incarceration rates, and reviews the profile needs of justice-involved girls. The authors offer their Model as an example of how to develop a gender-responsive approach to girls in the justice system, including a description of how the model was operationalized in a community in the United States. Critical developments and emerging opportunities for each of the Model’s components: advocacy, model programming, public education, training and technical assistance, gender responsive tools, systems accountability, and evaluation are highlighted. Lessons learned are offered as a springboard for conversations about how the international community can individually assess their needs and resources and work together to improve the response to girls. The paper concludes with recommendations for choosing, evaluating, and implementing bestpractice approaches for meaningful reform

Urgent Work: Developing a Gender- Responsive Approach for Girls in the Juvenile Justice System

Este artículo revisa la prevalencia de niñas en el Sistema de Justicia Juvenil de Estados Unidos, compara las tasas de encarcelamiento nacional e internacional y examina las necesidades de un perfil de las niñas involucradas. Los autores ofrecen su modelo como ejemplo para desarrollar una aproximación dirigida al género femenino en el Sistema de Justicia, incluyendo una descripción de su operacionalización en una comunidad de los Estados Unidos. En los desarrollos críticos y la emergencia de oportunidades para cada uno de los componentes del modelo, se destacan: la promoción legislativa y las políticas, el modelo de programación, la educación pública, la capacitación y asistencia técnica, las herramientas sensibles al género, los sistemas de responsabilidad y la evaluación. Las lecciones aprendidas se presentan como plataforma para la interlocución sobre la manera en que la comunidad internacional puede, en forma individual, evaluar necesidades y recursos, y trabajar conjuntamente para dar una mejor respuesta a las niñas. El artículo concluye con recomendaciones para escoger, evaluar e implementar mejores prácticas para una reforma significativa.This paper reviews the prevalence of girls in the U.S. juvenile justice system, compares national and international incarceration rates, and reviews the profile needs of justice-involved girls. The authors offer their Model as an example of how to develop a gender-responsive approach to girls in the justice system, including a description of how the model was operationalized in a community in the United States. Critical developments and emerging opportunities for each of the Model’s components: advocacy, model programming, public education, training and technical assistance, gender responsive tools, systems accountability, and evaluation are highlighted. Lessons learned are offered as a springboard for conversations about how the international community can individually assess their needs and resources and work together to improve the response to girls. The paper concludes with recommendations for choosing, evaluating, and implementing bestpractice approaches for meaningful reform

Research to Action: Make Girls a Priority in Florida

This third publication of the Status of Girls series, Research to Action: Make Girls a Priority in Florida, bases its recommendations on the findings from the first two research publications. This report highlights where we can invest in girls who are at the greatest risk for trauma, mental health challenges, exploitation, or system involvement. This includes raising community awareness and addressing policies and practices that perpetuate trauma and disparate educational and well-being outcomes for girls in Florida.