Law enforcement agencies reported 670,800 arrests of girls under age 18 in 1999, which accounted for 27 percent of the total juvenile arrests made that year, the report said. Delinquency cases involving girls jumped 83 percent between 1988 and 1997 - with cases involving white girls rising 74 percent and those involving blacks up 106 percent. Between 1990 and 1999, arrests of girls increased more than male arrests for curfew and loitering, drug abuse and assault. The report attributed the disparity to bias on the part of police, prosecutors, judges and public agencies that handle runaway cases. Girls are detained for less serious offenses than boys and are more likely to be detained for minor offenses, such as public disorder, probation violations and traffic offenses.
Girls are more likely to be sent back to detention after release.
The ABA recommended that communities develop alternatives to detention and incarceration for girls and revamp policies that send girls into juvenile justice facilities for minor offenses. Journal Sentinel Inc. All rights reserved.