Chapter 8 - Girls and Juvenile Delinquency - Key Terms

Key terms from Stacy L Mallicoat's Women and Crime: The Essentials

1992 Reauthorization of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (JJDP) Act

An expansion to the original 1974 federal law, requiring address to racial disparity within the system.

Age-of-consent campaign

Political movements that aim to raise the age of legal consent. The two most notable ones are the 1880s purity focused campaign that raised the age of consent to 16, and the modern day campaign to close legal loopholes and raise the age to 21.

Bootstrapping

A self-starting process designed to continue without external input.

Formal processing

The official handling of offenders through established legal institutions.

Gender-specific programming

An approach tailored to the unique developmental, psychological, and physiological needs of a specific gender

Informal processing

How cases are resolved outside the formal courtroom and penal system.

Juvenile delinquency

Unlawful or antisocial behavior committed by a minor.

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act (JJDP) of 1974

Established national standards for the custody of youth.

Parens patriae

Latin for “parent of the country”, a legal doctrine that grants state the power and authority to act as guardian for individuals legally unable to protect themselves.

Reentry

The process by which formerly incarcerated individuals transition from correctional confinement back into society.

Reformatory

A penal or correctional institution specifically designed to rehabilitate young or first-time offenders rather than to punish them.

Resiliency

The capacity of individuals or communities to overcome extreme adversity, stress, or risk factors without turning to delinquent or criminal behavior.

Risk factors for female offending

Conditions or experiences that increase the likelihood of a girl engaging in criminal or status offenses.

Zero-tolerance polices

An uncompromising disciplinary framework that mandates strict, predetermined consequences for specific rule violations, regardless of the circumstances, an individual's history, or context.