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Justice fails girls, says a new report
By JOHN BALZ © St. Petersburg Times, published May 2, 2001 WASHINGTON -- When her parents separated, 8-year-old Dayna thought living with her mom would mean more freedom. But as Dayna entered adolescence, tensions between them grew. Dayna started disobeying her mom -- skipping school, running away, popping ecstasy in hotel rooms with her boyfriend. Last summer one of their arguments turned violent and police were called. Despite taking blows from her mother, it was Dayna who was charged with domestic battery. "When I was arrested the police officer said that my mom had the right to beat me with a chair if she wanted to," said Dayna, 16, who received six months' probation. Dayna, of Tampa, is one of an increasing number of young women to wind up in a justice system ill-prepared to meet their emotional and educational needs, according to a report released Tuesday by the National Bar Association and the American Bar Association. The report was released at a news conference that introduced Dayna and another Tampa teenager as examples. Between 1988 and 1997, female juvenile delinquency cases jumped 83 percent for a variety of crimes including curfew violations, drug abuse and assault. In Florida, girls are committing 61 percent more crimes than 10 years ago, according to the state's Department of Juvenile Justice. By contrast, crimes by boys rose 22 percent in the same period. American Bar Association president Martha Barnett, of the law firm of Holland and Knight, said juvenile justice professionals need to understand that female adolescents develop differently from boys. In many cases, girls' delinquency is related to family conflicts that are inadequately solved through jail time or probation, she said. "At every point in the process, the juvenile system presents girls with a narrower range of options," said Barnett. "For girls, there are fewer alternatives to arrest, longer waits in detention, and fewer choices about placement. That must change and quickly." The report recommended creating alternatives to incarceration for girls and re-evaluating the impact that prison has on females. Catherine Arnold, a spokeswoman for the Florida Department of Juvenile Justice, said the state is having to come to grips with the fact that more juvenile offenders are female. One in four are girls, many of whom have been raped or are suffering from depression. The state opened its first maximum-security facility for females last year and is doubling its capacity to 100.
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From the Times wire desk
From the AP |
