One aspect of youth justice which is often sidelined in debate about reform is the situation of girls. Increasing numbers of young women are becoming caught up in a system which has been designed with the needs and offending patterns of boys in mind. There has been an overall failure to develop a gender-sensitive youth justice system, and there is a pressing need for this to change.

Though there does not appear to be a rise in their offending rates, girls are finding themselves drawn in the criminal justice system more frequently and are being convicted at a younger age. Responses to their offending tend to be more interventionist than for boys, resulting in larger numbers appearing in court. It is suggested that young women are being prosecuted for activities that, previously, they would not have, and the use of custody for girls has risen sharply.

These rising numbers, and the picture painted in the media of girls and young women as anti-social binge-drinkers, have created the popular misconception that girls’ offending and anti-social behaviour are becoming more prolific, more violent and generally spiralling out of control. The Government’s punitive approach to youth offending had obscured the particular vulnerabilities of these girls and young women.

While girls and young women caught up in the criminal justice system share many similar social problems to boys, there are also distinct differences which pose different challenges and which require different treatment and expertise. The experience of custody also affects boys and girls differently and inevitably their response to youth offender management. Girls who offend have often suffered from a history of physical and sexual abuse, as well as disruptive or troubled family backgrounds. Whilst there is no one route in to the criminal justice system, girls tend to have followed a general path from achieving little at school as a result of early disadvantage and social exclusion, leading to their subsequent disengagement, resulting in a lack of basic skills or qualifications, and a lack of hope for the future.

Young women offenders, as well as those at risk of offending, experience greater levels of emotional problems than boys, and many suffer from cripplingly low levels of self esteem. They experience extremely high rates of self harm, with levels almost twice that of the adult female population. Many have been in care, or have substance misuse problems, and they display higher than average mental health needs than the general population. Many who are taken into custody also suffer from the additional trauma of being separated, not only from their support networks, but from their own children.

By the time a girl or young woman comes into contact with the criminal justice system she is likely to have already experienced multiple problems in her life, and to have come from a deprived and socio-economically marginalised community. Taking them into custody clearly is not working to reduce offending. Instead it invariably exacerbates the problems they may be experiencing. These young women are vulnerable and victimised themselves, and in desperate need of care and support. With the right, targeted and personalised help they can be empowered to find another path and build a better future.

The average time between a girl’s first caution and being taken in to custody is half that of boys. This is part of the reason that early positive intervention is particularly critical for girls. There is a short space of time in which a girl can be diverted away from involvement in offending before she becomes formally involved in the youth justice system. The younger a girl is when this happens, the more damaging the effects on her.

Whilst much needed research has been done into the needs and experiences of adult women caught up in the criminal justice system, girls tend to have been subsumed under the category of ‘youth’ offending and not enough is known about them and what really does work. What we do know suggests that the more successful approaches include those that are specifically designed around the needs of the individual, are holistic in approach, involve the voices of young women and work positively with female peer groups.

As a society we are failing so many disadvantaged young women by not enabling them to achieve their full potential. We need to find new approaches to girls’ offending, as well as recognising the value of existing alternatives. If we are to move forward with a criminal justice strategy based on sound evidence, there is a real need to take in to account the voices and experiences of girls in order to create a system that is sensitive to gender and responsive to need.


About YWCA England & Wales

YWCA’s vision is that all girls and women, in particular those living in the most disadvantaged and deprived areas across England and Wales, are able to overcome the prejudice and barriers they face so that they can fulfil their potential.

YWCA provides support, guidance and learning opportunities for marginalised girls and women which are designed with their specific needs in mind. We also campaign with them to combat the discrimination and disadvantage they face.

Our women’s centres have evolved in recognition of the importance that girls and women place on being able to focus on their issues in an environment that is women-only and safe, and respectful of their diverse needs.

Ms. Dickson writes of typical Liberal, whiny, bleeding-heart ideology that is always a resounding failure and is a fraud. Like Liberalism, it's a loser!

Case in point, the sentence from Ms. Dickson which states, "In 2009 alone, 248 teenagers aged out of the system in Arkansas, reaching their 18th birthdays and leaving state care with no parents to provide them with economic or emotional support." This is an utterly ridiculous and nonsensical statement about 18 year-olds. Pollyanish at best.

First, there are tens of thousands (perhaps hundreds of thousands?) of children that reach the age of majority each year who move on in life without the "economic and emotional support" of mommy and/or daddy. And they typically do just fine or somehow, someway find a way to make it in life. No nannies need apply to help hold their little hands along the way. In fact, in some instances, such "economic and emotional support" works against a child's best interests. How many kids go off to college only to flunk out after a year because mommy and daddy took care of their economic support and their emotional support was simply to enable bad behavior because "Johnny can do no wrong" or "Mary tells me she's really doing great in school" when in fact she's partying too much and failing every class.

Second, how many tens of thousands of people enlist in the United States Armed Forces at age 18 and soon thereafter get shipped off to Iraq or Afghanistan or some far away military installation? Don't think mommy and daddy are over there holding their hands so they don't get hurt. It's time Americans quit being wimps like all of you Liberals and Ms. Dickson and grow up and "man up" when it comes time. I'm sure America's "Greatest Generation" rolls their eyes when they read comments like Ms. Dicksons.

Third, I would much prefer the environment of a state residential facility or something equivalent to the Arkansas Sheriff's Youth Ranch than Billy being raised beginning at age 14 by two gay men. That's like O.J. Simpson being in charge of a women's safety group! Or putting the fox in charge of the proverbial hen house. Moreover, that child now becomes confused as to who his "mommy" is and who his "daddy" is. Pretty perverted. And even if it's a male and female adult who aren't married but living together, the state shouldn't be legitimizing immorality and immoral behavior when it comes to children. They are better left being taught the right way to live as an adult than to be subject to immoral messages.

Lastly, it brings home the point I heard long ago from a friend who was in his 60's at the time. He lost his mother and father at an early age and had no other family to raise him. So, he was sent to a Methodist orphanage that was in a rural area of North Carolina and basically a working farm. It was run by loving people who instilled a sense of work ethic (up early doing chores before school --alot of children could sure use this but I'm sure all you Liberals would scream "child abuse"!), achieving in life and getting educated. He stayed at this loving orphanage until he turned 18 and went off to school where he went on to achieve and ultimately died a millionaire a few years ago. When my friend recounted his story, he was often overcome with emotion because he knew that, "but for" his experience at this orphanage and the lessons of life it taught him: faith in something greater than oneself (i.e.: God, which the state can never teach), hard work, character and a good moral foundation and getting educated -- there was probably a decent chance he would not have been the man, citizen, husband and father he turned out to be. It is time our faith and civic institutions step up to these types of programs and we get back to the Boys Town mentality instead of the state doing everything including raising children. Except for a few things, the state can't do a better job at meeting society's needs and meeting those needs is always better left to private individuals and private organizations.

That's why Conservatism is such a winner every time! It wins in people's individual lives and it wins in the philosophy of governance!