ABSTRACT
Girls are becoming increasingly violent and delinquent especially African-American girls. To illustrate, between 1981 and 1997, whereas the violent crime arrest rate for juvenile males increased by 20%, the rate for young females nearly doubled (Snyder & Sickmund, 1999). Similarly, between 1989 and 1993, juvenile arrests for serious crimes increased by 55% for girls compared with a 33% increase for boys. In addition, although most offenses committed by girls continue to be less serious status offenses, girls are increasingly becoming involved in more serious crimes, such as aggravated assault, gangs, and drug trafficking (Poe-Yamagata & Butts, 1996).
