Analyzing "Girl Trouble -- Teenage Girls and the Juvenile Justice System"

Introduction

           
            Female juvenile delinquency has been analyzed by many scholars, and because of these inquires many causations for the illegal behaviors have been able to be comprehended.  Moreover, many of the studies infer that there are common variables in female delinquency and even though there are variations from female-to-female there are many similar patterns in female juvenile offenders (Bernstein, 2014; Cauffman, 2008; Cernkovich, Lanctôt, & Giordano, 2008; Colman, Kim, Mitchel-Herzfeld, & Shady, 2009).  That is, many female juvenile offenders are involved in social settings that produce stress or condone delinquent activities, some female juvenile offenders have mental illnesses that cause delinquent actions, drug and alcohol use is a significant factor in many cases, influences from peer networks tend to be a major factor in female juvenile delinquency, and the lack of services to provide assistance to female juvenile offenders for personal and social problems that they are dealing appears to further delinquent thinking and behaviors (Bernstein, 2014; Cauffman, 2008; Cernkovich, Lanctôt, & Giordano, 2008; Colman, Kim, Mitchel-Herzfeld, & Shady, 2009). 

            
             Of this, the film Girl Trouble – Teenage Girls and the Juvenile Justice System (2007) examines three female juvenile offenders and presents many of the above-mentioned personal and social issues in their livelihoods (Leban & Szajko, 2007).  Each girl that was tracked through the juvenile justice system in this film dealt with repetitive legal situations for years of their lives as well as personal issues that were self-defeating because of the environments that they were involved in (Leban & Szajko, 2007).  Sheila – one of the female juvenile offenders in the documentary – had issues with her homelife and outside of it, and this paper will focus on her experiences in the juvenile justice system (Leban & Szajko, 2007).  Elaborating more, Sheila’s father abused drugs and alcohol and also had constant legal matters because of his lifestyle choices (Leban & Szajko, 2007).  The same behaviors were noticed in Sheila’s siblings and friends that she associated with (Leban & Szajko, 2007).  The reason why Sheila has been chosen as the primary individual to analyze is because her environmental and personal situations confirm many of the postulations about female juvenile offending and the causes of it by researchers.  Second to this, Sheila’s background allows legal professionals and scholars to learn about how social settings contribute to delinquency, and her background is one of the hardships that were, at times, out of her control (Leban & Szajko, 2007).  Therefore, this paper will summarize Sheila’s background, experiences with the juvenile and adult criminal justice systems, and her successful endeavors so that the reader is able to comprehend the nuances of female juvenile delinquency and understand the negative and positive effects of the legal system on female juveniles. 

Sheila’s Background

            
              Sheila, at the time of the filming of the documentary, was seventeen years-old and had grown up in a housing project in San Francisco for her entire life (Leban & Szajko, 2007).  Furthermore, she was one of eight children and her parents can be considered indigent persons (Leban & Szajko, 2007).  Sheila’s mother could be considered a single mother because her father abused substances, participated in violence at times, and had many legal situations while Sheila was growing up and while she was dealing with her own legal matters (Leban & Szajko, 2007).  Also, her siblings had similar problems that Sheila had (Leban & Szajko, 2007).  Because of the poor living conditions and lack of support from her family, Sheila was forced to be independent at an early age and thus began associating with people who sold and used drugs and, in turn, decided to engage in the same activities in order to get by (Leban & Szajko, 2007).  Her first arrest was at the age of fourteen for running away, and as Sheila grew older she claims that she was taught her other delinquent behaviors from her peers – such as dealing drugs and intricacies within the informal code of the street (Leban & Szajko, 2007).  Withal, Sheila never had a formal job until her involvement in the employment programs at the youth advocacy center that she was participating in and also had minimal education (Leban & Szajko, 2007).  Finally, her legal status was initially being in the juvenile justice system until she shot a family member in the upper body (Leban & Szajko, 2007).  This criminal offense required her to enter the adult criminal justice system, and, fortunately, she was given another chance to participate in the aforementioned youth advocacy center’s program in lieu of a sentence to a term of imprisonment (Leban & Szajko, 2007). 

Predictors/Risk Factors for Sheila

            
                As aforementioned, academic research has presented an array of risk factors for female juvenile offenders.  Many of the predictors for female delinquency infer that environmental conditions are the primary causation for behaviors that lead to delinquency or other issues that female juvenile offenders are enduring (Bernstein, 2014; Cauffman, 2008; Cernkovich, Lanctôt, & Giordano, 2008; Kakar, Friedemann, & Peck, 2002; van der put, Deković, Hoeve, Stams, van der Laan, & Langewouters, 2014).  Particularly, Sheila had risk factors because of her living situation (Bernstein, 2014; Cernkovich, Lanctôt, & Giordano, 2008; Leban & Szajko, 2007).  For example, and as previously mentioned, Sheila’s father was abusive, had substance abuse issues, and consistent legal problems as she was growing up and during the filming of the documentary (Leban & Szajko, 2007).  These environmental conditions have been analyzed in academic studies and many of the results suggest that female juvenile offenders – as well as male juvenile offenders – who are associated with homelives were a parent that has the above-mentioned problems is more likely to have emotional problems and, in turn, will participate in similar behaviors or use coping mechanisms such as substance abuse and affiliations with deviant social networks (Bernstein, 2014; Cauffman, 2008; van der put, Deković, Hoeve, Stams, van der Laan, & Langewouters, 2014).  Statistical correlations confirm these notions and thus make it difficult to refute the idea that environmental conditions are not plausible variables for the causation of female juvenile delinquency.  Specifically, Cernkovich, Lanctôt, and Giordano (2008) performed a study with 127 female juvenile offenders and determined that negative social settings are a principle causation for the onset and further delinquency as a juvenile, as well as contributed to engaging in criminal activities as an adult (pp. 15-28).  Sheila’s delinquency can be explained by the results in the aforementioned study.  Although Sheila did not exhibit any sexual or parental abuse toward herself in the documentary, many of the independent variables – such as family trouble and subsequent delinquency – used in the 2008 study are in line with Sheila’s homelife, the onset and furtherance of her delinquency, and entrance into the adult criminal justice system (Bernstein, 2014; Cernkovich, Lanctôt, & Giordano, 2008; Leban & Szajko, 2007).  Her description of her relationship with her parents and siblings, coupled with her affiliation with deviant social networks, are an example of the above-mentioned risk factors that cause and further delinquency, and contribute to intervention by the adult criminal justice system (Bernstein, 2014; Cernkovich, Lanctôt, & Giordano, 2008; Leban & Szajko, 2007).    

            Other predictors within Sheila’s background can be associated with her delinquency via additional academic studies.  For instance, Sheila expressed how she had substance abuse and mental health problems which, in turn, caused her to behave in a delinquent fashion (Leban & Szajko, 2007).  In a study by van der put, Deković, Hoeve, Stams, van der Laan, and Langewouters (2014) with 1,396 adolescents with a total of 240 girls (17%) it was discovered that substance abuse and mental health problems are not as significant as other risk factors, but they still are included in the high-risk variables for subsequent delinquency (p. 1036).  Kakar, Friedemann, and Peck (2002) performed a similar study and concluded that girls who had substance abuse and mental health issues in their family backgrounds were more likely to participate in similar behaviors; thus, contributing to an earlier onset of intervention by the legal system and later legal problems as an adult (p. 69).  Again, Sheila had these conditions in her family background, which most likely contributed to her exhibiting delinquent behaviors and once the substance abuse and mental health issues were sustained they most likely furthered her delinquency and legal issues (Leban & Szajko, 2007). 

Treatment Assertions for Sheila

            
               Sheila’s delinquent behaviors could be eliminated through curtailed educational endeavors about drug abuse, mental health issues, domestic violence, criminal justice procedures, and employment (Molidor, Nissen, & Watkins, 2002; Salmon, Joseph, & Taylor, 2000).  More specifically, Sheila’s needs and personal goals should be noted and, in turn, a plan of action could be formulated (Molidor, Nissen, & Watkins, 2002; Salmon, Joseph, & Taylor, 2000; Vaughn, Wallace, Davis, Fernandes, & Howard, 2007).  Her needs – such as healthcare, housing, and employment – should be more than the basic necessities that are provided through social services.  If success for Sheila is the main goal, she should be provided with housing, healthcare, and employment needs that are based on her standards as long as they are not outlandish or overly lavish (Altschuler & Armstrong, 1997, 2001, 2002; Cauffman, 2008; Fields & Abrams, 2010).

            Sheila’s housing needs should be the first priority because without a stable foundation not many other therapeutic services will be beneficial (Altschuler & Armstrong, 1997, 2001, 2002; Fields & Abrams, 2010).  An array of studies and social workers have claimed that without a stable home – one that is not dysfunctional and is safe – is vital for the success of an individual when they are attempting to be a respected citizen in a community (Altschuler & Armstrong, 1997, 2001, 2002; Fields & Abrams, 2010).  Furthermore, the necessary utilities should be provided initially so that Sheila does not have to deal with the burden of paying bills while adjusting to the new style of living.  Communication and furniture should also be provided so that Sheila can have more time to focus on herself and employment-related functions. 

            Regarding employment, – which is the second most important aspect of successful living after being involved in the legal system – Sheila should be provided with a job so that she has money to purchase things that she finds necessary to have (Altschuler & Armstrong, 1997, 2001, 2002; Fields & Abrams, 2010).  Moreover, Sheila’s personal goals for employment should be acknowledged too.  More precisely, her professional interests should be noted and employment programming that is related to her interests should be provided so that she can find a program that will produce positive feelings and financial success that lead to complete independence (Altschuler & Armstrong, 1997, 2001, 2002; Fields & Abrams, 2010).  With this being said, Sheila needs to know that some professions require specific training or education and if she does not have these skills then any of these desired professions will be a step-by-step oriented process. 

            Domestic violence education and drug abuse and mental health treatment should be provided in individually curtailed methods if Sheila is open to the treatment (Altschuler & Armstrong, 1997, 2001, 2002; Cauffman, 2008; Fields & Abrams, 2010).  This is said because if Sheila is not interested in these services then they are pointless to mandate or attend.  If she is interested in these types of services, then the treatment providers should create programming that is based on Sheila’s particular issues and not produced in a general manner (Altschuler & Armstrong, 1997, 2001, 2002; Cauffman, 2008; Fields & Abrams, 2010).  Encompassing Sheila’s personal problems into the treatment plan would allow for better services that solve her issues and, in turn, instill an appreciation for the social workers’ efforts and legal system in general.

 

Conclusion

            
              In sum, Sheila has a lengthy history of delinquency and personal issues that will not be rectified in a short period of time.  Nevertheless, this does not mean that she is unable to cope with her problems in the short-term and participate in activities that will benefit her immediately.  With positive support networks and good-natured services, Sheila can easily transition into a way of life that is acceptable by societal standards as well as personally enriching.  As the positive endeavors are embarked upon, Sheila would most likely comprehend the benefits of such living and think negatively about her prior lifestyle choices – which would be beneficial to her and the community that she lives in. 

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