Gender Specific Services For Girls
In Washington, during the past five years the percentage of total juvenile arrests represented by girls has remained relatively contstant, althought the actual numbers of girls arrested has continued to decline.
In 2006, girls represented 28.7 percent of the total juvenile arrests in Washington. This is the first year in approximately 15 that the percentage of total arrests represented by girls has decreased. With the exception of 2006, the percentage of total arrests represented by girls has steadily increased, while the actual number of girls arrested for committing a crime has decreased. In 2002, 10,993 girls were arrested, representing 28.9 percent of the total juvenile arrests. In 2006, 9,889 girls were arrested representing 28.7 percent of the total arrests: Both the number of arrests and the percentage of the total arrests represented by girls decreased from the previous year. Overall, the total number of arrests has decreased from 38,073 in 2002 to 34,432 in 2006. Most of the decrease is attributed to the decrease in the number of boys arrested.
Although the percentage of girls arrested has leveled off in the past five years, data for the past ten years reveals that in 1997, 13,382 girls were arrested representing 25.8 percent of total arrests (51,940).
An analysis of the types of crimes for which girls are arrested provides some interesting insights.
Just as the percentage of girls arrested for committing crimes has increased in the past 10 to 15 years, so has their representation as a percentage of the juvenile detention population. This increase is dramatic when looking at the ten year period from 1995-2005. In 1995, the percentage of the overall detention population represented by girls was 19.6. In 2005, that percentage had increased to 29.2 percent.
The county juvenile courts commit the most serious offenders to the Juvenile Rehabilitation Administration (JRA). Most of the youth committed to JRA have been adjudicated for at least one violent offense, or a large number of various offenses. Since 2000, the percentage of girls committed to JRA has increased from 8.2 percent (2000) to 9.2 percent in 2005.
In 1995, Washington enacted the At-Risk/Runaway Youth Act, also know as the “Becca Law”. This act authorized the creation and use of Secure Crisis Residential Centers (S-CRCs) to hold runaway youth brought to these facilities by law enforcement. Runaway youth may be held in these facilities for up to five days, so they can be assessed, stabilized, and reunified with their caregivers.
Girls comprise the majority of youth confined in our state’s Secure Crisis Residential Centers. Based on information provided for 2005 by the four detention based S-CRCs (Clallam, Chelan, Kitsap and Snohomish Counties), 64 percent of the youth admitted to the S-CRCs for runaway were girls. This percentage has remained constant since the implementation of the S-CRCs.
Based on 2005 data, girls represent 53 percent of the filings for At Risk Youth Petitions; 63 percent of the filings for Child in Need of Services; and 47 percent of the Truancy filings.
The total number of ARY contempt hearings has remained relatively constant for the past five years (2001-2005), averaging about 2,129 per year, while the number of truancy contempt hearings increased slightly from 4,711 in 1999 to 4,958 in 2005. This is in contrast to a decrease in truancy filings from 15,766 in 2001 to 14,467 in 2005.
Gender Specific Links
Girls Policy Briefs
Workshop Presentations
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