This book offers an ethnographic study of the lives of girls in the juvenile justice system.
Based on rich narrative accounts the girls at the center of the study are viewed as
confronted with the power of simultaneous race class and gender hierarchies. Through this
framework we see how the girls navigate this challenge by seeking status in their everyday
lives: in their families juvenile justice institutions and neighborhood organizations
including gangs. Through analyzing the ways that the girls strive for higher social status
this book provokes debate about how policies and programs may be creatively rethought to
incorporate this pursuit. Girls and Juvenile Justice offers a glimpse into the hearts minds
and souls of adolescent girls. It will be of great interest for scholars of criminal justice
sociology women's studies and social-psychology.
