DeLauro Reintroduces the Juvenile Justice System for Girls Act

WASHINGTON, DC (June 16, 2016) — Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (CT-03) today reintroduced the Juvenile Justice System for Girls Act to address the unique challenges that child and adolescent girls face in the juvenile justice system. DeLauro’s bill would amend Title V of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act, which authorizes Community Prevention State Grants to reduce risks and prevent youth from entering the juvenile justice system. The bill would improve these grants by including evidence based gender-responsive programs in the grant qualifications.

“America’s juvenile justice system is failing our nation’s at-risk youth. With more young women entering the system than ever before, we must have gender specific programs in place to mitigate the effects of childhood trauma and reduce interactions with the juvenile justice system,” said Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro. “The Juvenile Justice System for Girls Act will ensure that we are addressing the challenges that young women in the system face. Not only will we address the consequences of untreated abuse—which includes substance abuse, violent relationships, and poor educational achievement—we will decrease costs by reducing recidivism.”

The proportion of girls entering the juvenile justice system has increased steadily over the past several decades, rising from 20 percent in 1991, to 30 percent in 2012. A growing body of evidence suggests that girls who enter the juvenile justice system have equal if not higher rates of mental health challenges than boys who enter the system.

Current research and data have shown that gender-responsive, strength-based programming providing trauma-informed care and trauma-specific services is the most effective means of preventing juvenile offenses and reducing recidivism.

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