ABSTRACT
The organizational framework for this chapter is the life course, an understanding of which can boost our understanding of how delinquency and crime unravels over the life course. From a life-course perspective, social scientists investigate the lives of individuals within the broader structural, social, and cultural contexts within which these individuals live. Unique to this discussion is the application of this model to female youth. The chapter reviews the findings from evidence-based longitudinal research that tell us much about the nature of female delinquency and turning points that can lead a young woman to break the cycle of lawbreaking behavior. Research studies on samples of Black, Latina, and lesbian and trans youth are incorporated into a developmental life-course perspective for a holistic approach. This research tells us a lot about forces (events or influences) that drive the girls to get into trouble in the first place as well about forces that can show them the way out. A major advantage of this model is that it explains both the persistence and the desistance of delinquent behavior.
