For girls, there are fewer alternatives to arrest, longer waits in detention and few choices about placement. 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. 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. Co. All rights reserved. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.