Abstract This study provides a comparative analysis between female juvenile offenders with a lesser offense who attend an alternative day treatment program and those females with a more serious offense who are sentenced to a residential treatment facility. Anonymous descriptive data were obtained from the closed cases of clients from the PACE Center for Girls (n=47), an alternative school setting for at-risk females, and the Northside Mental Health Hospital-Girls Intensive Residential Learning Services Program (n=67) with a mean age of 17 years old. Given that the statistically significant data focused primarily on physical and mental health, it is proposed that communities could decrease the exorbitant cost of residential treatment by providing access to adequate physical and mental health services to the female juvenile offenders at day treatment facilities. These findings may provide valuable information for practitioners, policymakers and communities regarding the design and implementation of female juvenile offender programs.
Learning Objectives: a) By the end of this session, the participant will be able to state the differences between the female juvenile offenders involved in the day treatment alternative school program and the residential program. b) By the end of this session, the participant will be able to identify the statistically significant differences in the physical, social, and enviornmental issues between the female juvenile offenders in each of the two programs. c) By the end of this session, the participant will be able to discuss some issues that health care practitioners and policy makers could address when designing programs for female juvenile offenders.
Keywords: Criminal Justice, Correctional Health Care
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.