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Improving the Juvenile Justice System for Girls Act of 2013

H.R. 1833 · 113th Congress · May 6, 2013 · Lineage

A BILL

To amend the Incentive Grants for Local Delinquency Prevention Programs under the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 to add gender-responsive services to the list of authorized grant purposes.

Section 1 Short title; Findings

(a)
Short title— This Act may be cited as the “Improving the Juvenile Justice System for Girls Act of 2013”.
(b)
Findings— The Congress finds as follows:
(1)
The proportion of girls entering the justice system has increased steadily over the past several decades, rising from 20 percent in 1980 to 30 percent in 2009. Most of these girls, up to 73 percent, have histories of physical and sexual violence, and their entry into the criminal and juvenile justice system is linked to their sexual and physical victimization.
(2)
Girls’ pathways into juvenile justice involvement are distinct from boys’ pathways. Girls account for a much larger proportion of nonviolent status offenders than delinquency offenders (40 percent compared to 14 percent, respectively).
(3)
A study by the Oregon Social Learning Center found the average reported age of first sexual encounter for girls in juvenile justice is 6.75.
(4)
The trauma of untreated physical and sexual abuse results in lifetime consequences for girls. These consequences include a higher risk for a number of negative social and health outcomes such as higher mortality rates, a variety of psychiatric problems, dysfunctional and violent relationships, poor educational achievement, less stable work histories, increased risk for sexually transmitted diseases and early pregnancy, substance abuse or addiction, and increased reliance on social services as compared to non-delinquent girls.
(5)
A growing body of evidence suggests that girls who enter the juvenile justice system have equal if not higher rates of mental health issues than boys who enter the system.
(6)
Current research and data have shown that gender-responsive, strength-based programming providing trauma-informed care and trauma-specific services is the most effective means of preventing juvenile offenses and reducing recidivism.

Sec. 2 Incentive grants for local delinquency prevention programs

The second title V of the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974 (relating to Incentive Grants for Local Delinquency Prevention Programs, as added by Public Law 102–586 and amended by Public Law 107–273) is amended—
(1)
by amending section 502 (42 U.S.C. 5781) to read as follows:

“502. Definitions

“In this title:

“(1) State advisory group—The term State advisory group means the advisory group appointed by the chief executive officer of a State under a plan described in section 223(a).

“(2) Gender-responsive services—The term gender-responsive services means promising practices or evidence-based services that—

“(A) comprehensively address the needs of girls in the juvenile justice system through the development or improvement of programs, treatment, counseling, and resources, and the selection and training of staff, in a manner that reflects an understanding of—

“(i) the unique pathways of girls into the juvenile justice system;

“(ii) the need for interventions that address common experiences of girls in the juvenile justice system, including histories of abuse, violence, broken family relationships, and substance abuse; and

“(iii) the social and cultural factors affecting girls in the juvenile justice system and girls who are at risk of entering the juvenile justice system; and

“(B) includes trauma-specific services.

“(3) Trauma-specific services—The term trauma-specific services means services that—

“(A) address the neurological, biological, psychological, and social effects of trauma on the victims of trauma;

“(B) provide resources on trauma exposure, the impact or trauma, and trauma treatment to such victims;

“(C) engage in efforts to strengthen the resilience and protective factors of such victims;

“(D) include trauma-informed therapeutic interventions that are based on an understanding of the vulnerabilities or triggers of victims of trauma, and are designed to provide support to, and avoid re-traumatization of, such victims; and

“(E) emphasize continuity of care and collaboration among the providers of services to such victims.”

(2)
in section 504 (42 U.S.C. 5783)—
(A)
in subsection (a)—
(i)
by striking “and” after the semicolon in paragraph (7);
(ii)
by redesignating paragraph (8) as paragraph (9); and
(iii)
by inserting after paragraph (7) the following:

“(8) gender-responsive services; and”

(B)
in subsection (b)—
(i)
in paragraph (2), by inserting “, including a description of how the funds made available under this section will increase the effectiveness of such plan and the activities to be carried out under such plan” before the semicolon; and
(ii)
in paragraph (3), by inserting “, including a description of how the funds made available under this section will increase the effectiveness of such plan and the activities to be carried out under such plan” before the semicolon; and
(3)
in section 505 (42 U.S.C. 5784), by striking “for fiscal years 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, and 2008” and inserting “for each of the fiscal years 2014 through 2019”.