Citation

Pasko L. Sociol. Compass 2008; 2(3): 821-836.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2008, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1111/j.1751-9020.2008.00093.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Traditional explanations of delinquency have mostly focused on male offending. While men were the primary subjects of criminological research as well as the central focus of the justice system, gender was rarely explicitly examined, and consequently, girls often went unnoticed. Today, however, female juvenile offenders’ visibility both in research and in the system has changed. This essay reviews feminist theorizing of girls’ delinquency, with a concentrated focus on the ‘pathways’ perspective; the scope of girls’ lawbreaking; and their historical and contemporary experiences inside and outside the juvenile justice system. This essay concludes with an examination of two promising girl-specific juvenile justice initiatives.