Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability
Office of Program Policy Analysis and Government Accountability

Gender-Specific Services for Delinquent Girls Vary Across Prevention, Detention, and Probation Programs

Report 05-56, December 2005




Report Summary

  • Department of Juvenile Justice prevention, detention, and probation programs for delinquent girls vary in the degree to which they meet the Legislature's directive to provide gender-specific services.
  • Contracted prevention programs appear to meet most gender-specific criteria, but the department should revise its scoring criteria for awarding prevention grant funds to address gender specificity.
  • Detention facilities vary in the extent of gender-specific services provided; the department should better train detention staff how to communicate with and meet the needs of delinquent girls.
  • Probation services are not designed to be gender-specific. Probation officers, parents, and girls on probation assert that more mental health and substance abuse treatment services are needed in these community-based programs. Many girls in these programs have histories of abuse and mental health disorders that have contributed to their delinquency.


Related Reports
  1. Effective Community Programs Could Reduce Commitments of Girls to Residential Programs
    Report 06-13 February 2006
  2. Qualifications, Screening, Salaries, and Training Affect Quality and Turnover of Juvenile Justice Employees
    Report 05-46 September 2005
Copies of this report in print or alternate accessible format may be obtained by email OPPAGA@oppaga.fl.gov, telephone (850) 488-0021, or mail 111 W. Madison St., Room 312 Tallahassee, FL 32399-1475.
Copies of this report in print or alternate accessible format may be obtained by email OPPAGA@oppaga.fl.gov, telephone (850) 488-0021, or mail 111 W. Madison St., Room 312 Tallahassee, FL 32399-1475.
criminal justice, juvenile justice, crime, corrections, sexually violent predators, sex offenders, treatment, ryce act, martin, liberty, mentally ill, desoto, monitoring, evidence-based programs, staff training, salaries, DJJ, detention, probation, girls, gender-specific, prevention, juvenile justice staff certification, evaluation