Around the country, rates of incarceration for girls are accelerating. In 2004, the U.S. Department of Justice reported that the involvement of girls in the juvenile justice system increased sharply in the past two decades, by 83% between 1985 and 2000, compared to the 34% increase involving males.

Some researchers have begun noticing a correlation between girls' sexual victimization and their involvement in the criminal justice system. This link is often associated with coping behavior used by girls, such as running away, drug use, and prostitution for economic survival, which leads them to involvement in the juvenile justice system.

In our work with the Girl Scouts, we have learned of several local communities that are serving incarcerated girls with ages ranging from 8-20. Talking to program managers and direct service staff, the link between sexual violence and juvenile delinquency is increasingly clear; girls in the system, based on anecdotal evidence, have higher rates of victimization than the much publicized 1:3 ratio in the general population.

Although we can't report any specific results of our Girl Scouts USA Project Anti-Violence Education evaluation yet, this is an issue we are continuing to explore, think about, and hope to find ways to impact positively.

Resources:

Siegel, Jane and Linda Williams (2003). The relationship between child sexual abuse and female delinquency. Journal of Research in Crime & Delinquency, 40(1), 71-94.
Simkins, Sandra and Sarah Katz (2002). Criminalizing Abused Girls. Violence Against Women, 8(12), 1474-1499.
U.S. Department of Justice (2004). Juvenile Court Statistics 2000. Washington, DC: Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention.