Alternatives to Juvenile Detention for Girls

A new brief from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency explores the benefits of diverting girls who do not pose a public safety risk from secure juvenile detention to community-based residential settings. Research demonstrates that girls arrested for minor probation violations and domestic disturbances are more likely to re-offend and cycle through the justice system than girls offered community-based alternatives. This brief focuses on a facility in Florida – where an earlier study identified 2,800 girls who could potentially have avoided lockup – and describes what a few states have done to reduce girls’ unnecessary arrest and placement in secure detention.

Access the brief here: 
https://www.nccdglobal.org/sites/default/files/Girls%20in%20Secure%20Juvenile%20Detention%20in%20Florida.pdf