What About Girls? Exploring Gender-Specific Delinquency Prev

A need for a closer examination of girls in the juvenile justice system has occurred due to increased arrest rates during the past two decades. Research has shown that to address girls’ delinquency requires gender-responsive approaches.  The National Council on Crime and Delinquency heeded that call and created the Center for Girls and Young Women (Center). Guided by the courageous life experiences of girls and young women in the juvenile and child welfare systems, the Center is the passionate voice for activism to ensure equitable, humane, and gender-appropriate responses to improve outcomes for girls and young women. The Center has recently engaged in an extensive needs assessment focused on girls involve din the juvenile justice system, and included hearing from affected girls and their families. Dr. Lawanda Ravoira, Director of the Center, and Vanessa Patino Lydia, Senior Researcher, will be the guests on this episode of Spotlight on Youth. They will  review the current research relevant to girls and juvenile justice, outline the findings of the Center’s needs assessment, and discuss how these impact prevention and intervention efforts with girls.