Research: Gender Specific
Girls in Connecticut’s Juvenile Justice System
An overview of girls in Connecticut’s juvenile justice system – information including referrals to FWSN and court, admissions to detention, delinquency commitments to DCF (including which court districts most frequently commit and how many girls are placed out of state), prevalence of psychiatric disorders and trauma history, and average age upon commitment and release. PDF, 180 KB
Center for Children’s Advocacy Report: Las Niñas Silenciadas
Demographic trends clearly indicate that Latinas are the fastest growing segment of our population. However, their struggle with the multi-faceted issue of truancy has hindered their academic potential. Obstacles to school achievement that play a critical role in the emergence of truant behavior for this population must be addressed. This report, released by the Center for Children’s Advocacy, is the second of a series. PDF, 64 KB
A System of Services for Girls in Connecticut
The landscape of Connecticut girls’ services is much like the girls themselves: extraordinary strengths coupled with widespread, seemingly insurmountable challenges. PDF, 695 KB
Court Involved Girls in Connecticut, June 2002 Report
The current study builds upon recent research conducted about juveniles in Connecticut and examines females in this population more closely; it provides more detailed descriptive analyses that may help to explain gender differences and presents information necessary to strengthen services for girls in Connecticut’s Juvenile Justice System. PDF, 1.53 MB
Detention Reform and Girls: Challenges and Solutions
The report details new finding about girls involved in the juvenile justice system. In particular, Professor Sherman discovered that: domestic violence often leads to girls being detained; and girls are chronically returned to detention for technical violations, whereas boys are more likely to be returned on a new offense. PDF, 818 KB
Improving Conditions for Girls in the
Justice System: The Female Detention Project
The Female Detention Project sought to create a profile of the typical girl in detention. Our goal in doing so was to draw attention to the common needs of girls, to identify gaps in services – both past and present – available to this population, and to identify strategies to compel the system to improve the quality of services offered to girls in Philadelphia’s Juvenile Justice System. PDF, 161 KB
Justice Department Study Dispels Myths
About Girls’ Delinquency, October 2008
Press release issued from the Office of Justice Programs on girls and delinquency. PDF, 16 KB
OCA Report – From Trauma to Tragedy:
CT Girls in Adult Prison, July 2008
Over the past two years, the Office of the Child Advocate (OCA) conducted weekly site visits, monitored case conferences, and met extensively with DCF and DOC leadership to examine the conditions at York Correctional Institution (YCI), Connecticut’s only prison for adult women. During this time, nearly 250 girls ages 15-18 who were tried in the adult criminal system spent time at this maximum-security prison. PDF, 3.5 MB
Plan for a Continuum of Community Based Services for Adolescent Females Involved in the Juvenile Justice System
In response to Substitute House Bill No. 5366, Special Act No. 04-05. PDF, 1.02 MB
Systemic Factors Influencing Increase
in Girls in Juvenile Justice System
A new study of girls in Florida’s juvenile justice system shows that a series of systemic factors influence the rising number of girls entering and cycling through the system. The study, conducted by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, offers a series of recommendations for improving treatment of girls and reversing the escalating number of girls entering the system. PDF, 1 MB