ABSTRACT

Until quite recently, research on female offenders generally has been ignored by criminal justice practitioners. The rates of arrest, seriousness of crimes committed, and number of incarcerations were thought to be unimportant relative to male criminality and did not warrant special attention. This resulted in little consideration given to girls and women in terms of facility design and management, gender appropriate training for staff working within these facilities, or the types of rehabilitation programming available for the female corrections population. Until very recently, there were few resources for addressing the needs of girls at risk or those already involved with the juvenile justice system.