Wards in Sacramento's juvenile hall, for example, sleep in military-style metal beds, where they are kept quiet and orderly, and are sent to school except during structured recreation times or group therapy. And experts suggest that while that may work for boys, who don't tend to bond in the same way with their guardians and work out their aggressions in physical activity, girls don't diffuse their stress in the same way. Girls need to talk. They need to think it through, process it and have somebody to talk about it with. Daniels' program, lauded in the report as a model for others, allows girls to talk about painful experiences at home and tries to teach them how to make better decisions in relationships.
Experts say more of that is desperately needed.
She said communities need to look at alternatives to locking up chronic runaways, many of whom have valid reasons not to return home. To alleviate that kind of problem in Sacramento County, the probation department has created some gender-specific counseling sessions at its day reporting center in south Sacramento, specifically to address issues unique to girls. But juvenile-justice experts said that is only part of the solution. Many are concerned about the trend nationally to lock up girls for lesser crimes. There is an attitude that girls are supposed to be pure and virtuous, and I think that results in girls being placed in restrictive settings that would not get boys the same treatment.