The Effects of Gender Responsive Programming on Recidivism Seriousness for Youth in Secure Detention

• In Event: Gender and the Juvenile Justice System

Abstract

Advocates of gender responsive programming point to key differences between girls and boys in detention to suggest that programs designed for incarcerated boys are not likely to meet the unique needs of incarcerated girls. Specifically, gender responsive programming advocates suggest that reducing delinquency in girls requires a focus on physical safety in order to counteract the feelings of fear engendered by past abuse, an emphasis on positive relationships or promotion of healthy connections to family and significant others, and self-esteem enhancement in order to more effectively counteract negative influences from male peers involved in crime themselves. However, while gender responsive programming has proliferated over the last 20 years, rigorous evaluation evidence supporting their use is limited. Utilizing data on all youth who entered a Connecticut detention center in 2010 (N=1,468), this study examines similarities and differences in the seriousness and type of recidivism offenses between youth from detention facilities that implemented gender responsive programming and youth from detention facilities that implemented traditional, behavioral-reinforcement programming. The results are discussed in relation to prior research and theory on gender responsive programming and gendered pathways to offending and confinement.

Authors

• Margaret Zahn, North Carolina State University

• Jacob C. Day, University of North Carolina, Wilmington