Module 1: Overview of the Juvenile Justice, Mental Health, and Substance Abuse Treatment Systems

7A. Female Offenders

During the past decade there has been a significant increase of female youth with co-occurring disorders entering the juvenile justice system (Veysey, 1998). These adolescents have often experienced extreme and early physical and sexual abuse, victimization, and emotional deprivation. The consequences of these traumas have a profound effect on cognitive and emotional development.

The inability to develop consistent attachments with positive peers and adults, difficulty with self-regulation and self-worth, and increased risk for suicide and self-destructive behaviors are evident (Linehan, 1993). Treatments need to be designed to address the particular issues of abuse and trauma as well as the specific health needs of females to decrease the likelihood of future offending behaviors.

Two recent surveys have confirmed that female needs for mental health services are significant in comparison to those of males. One study in Ohio found that 84 percent of females in juvenile justice needed mental health services as compared to 27 percent of males (Timmons-Mitchell et al., 1997). The second study, which used data from Washington State juvenile justice institutions, showed that girls suffered significantly higher rates of mood and substance abuse disorders (Stewart, Boesky, & Trupin, 1999). These girls reported high rates of traumatic experiences as well. Interventions that address these young women's emotional issues (including their difficulty modulating or controlling their emotions) are essential.

Marsha Linehan, Ph.D., has developed Dialectic Behavior Therapy, which draws heavily on cognitive behavior therapy and philosophic approaches that emphasize one's ability to learn to accept conflicting emotional states (Linehan, 1993). This empirically validated, manualized intervention addresses emotional dysregulation in females with borderline personality disorders. Modifications of this approach have shown promising results with youthful females in the juvenile justice system (Trupin, Stewart, Boesky, & McClung, 1999).