Girls at Greater Risk in Justice System

May 12, 2005 — -- Boys who commit serious crimes are the focus of the juvenile justice system in this country because the system, quite bluntly, is designed to protect adults from out-of-control thugs. But new research indicates we may be concentrating on the wrong sex.

Girls, according to studies out of Ohio State University in Columbus, are actually at higher risk than boys for venturing down the wrong path later in life. That's because the problems girls face are very different from those confronting males, and the justice system is failing to address that, according to Stephen Gavazzi, professor of human development and family science at Ohio State and co-author of a study to be published in the journal Criminal Justice and Behavior.

Gavazzi and his colleagues have been following 305 juveniles who were detained by authorities in an effort to assess their chances of turning their lives around. Are they in deep trouble, facing problems that are likely to ruin their lives, or are they just off on the wrong foot?

"The work we've been doing over the years had led us to believe there were some profound differences between girls and boys that were hitting the juvenile justice system," Gavazzi says. "Girls and boys were getting arrested and detained for very different things."

Boys were far more likely to be arrested because of traditional criminal behavior, like taking someone else's car for a joy ride or stealing a six pack or punching another kid's lights out.

Girls, on the other hand, were far more likely to be detained because of behavior that wouldn't be considered a crime if they were adults. That includes running away from home, serious trouble with a parent or promiscuity.

That may not be particularly surprising, but the researchers were astounded when they analyzed the answers to questions they had posed to the 305 juveniles to help evaluate their chances for more trouble in the years ahead. It was the girls, not the boys, who were at the highest risk.