Juvenile justice through a gender variant lens : an exploratory study of the experience of providers working with gender variant youth in California juvenile justice facilities
This qualitative study aimed to explore the experience of service providers in juvenile justice facilities in the San Francisco Bay Area, specifically with regard to their work with gender variant youth. Additionally, it focused on how SB 518, the CA Juvenile Justice Safety and Protection Act, impacted service provision within the juvenile justice system. Qualitative interviews were conducted with 13 providers who were employed at the time of SB 518 passing. The findings suggest that gender variant youth are present in juvenile justice facilities and face multiple challenges while navigating the juvenile justice system. Providers interviewed did not have an awareness of the passing of SB 518, nor of ways in which it impacted service provision with the gender variant population. Providers were unaware of any existing systems, policies, or procedures in juvenile justice facilities designed to support the needs of gender variant youth. Moreover, providers interviewed for the purposes of this study held varying impressions about ways in which they provided services to gender variant youth in their care. Much of what the limited existing data on this topic conveys is similar to that of what these study findings imply
