Detention Reform and Girls: Challenges and Solutions: JDAI Pathways to Detention Reform #13

Abstract

This report is part of the Annie E. Casey Foundation Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative (JDAI) Pathways to Detention Reform Series. It describes the urgent need for juvenile justice systems to focus on their female populations and presents an overview of the pathways girls take into detention in the United States with a focus on justice system policies and practices that lead to unnecessary and disproportionate detention of girls. It then identifies promising policies, practices, and gender-responsive approaches drawn from JDAI sites, which can reduce girls’ detention and improve their outcomes. The report concludes with systemic strategies to eliminate gender bias and promote gender responsiveness.

Keywords: juvenile justice, Juvenile Detention Alternatives Initiative, JDAI, detention reform