Looking in the Rearview Mirror: What Incarcerated Women Think Girls Need From The System

Until the 1980s, scant literature existed about the programmatic needs of delinquent girls. Girls are being introduced into the system at a faster rate than in the past, and the number of girls arrested for “serious ” crimes has increased; therefore, gender-specific needs can no longer be overlooked. Much of the gender-specific knowledge focuses on risk and protective factors, though the literature on girls ’ programmatic needs is beginning to grow. This study attempts to ascertain what girls need from the system by asking incarcerated women (who were system-involved as adolescents) to describe what they believe the system can do for girls. Keywords gender-specific programming, at-risk and delinquent girls, female juvenile offenders, incarcerated women, focus groups With some notable exceptions, little research has examined the needs of women and girls caught up in the justice system (e.g., Belknap & Holsinger, 1998; Belknap, Holsinger