Lisa Pasko

“She's Way Too Good to Lose”: An Evaluation of Honolulu's Girls Court

This research evaluates the efficacy of a gender-specific, problem-solving court for girl offenders. Official statistics, interview data, and focus group data are utilized to determine whether the court is achieving its stated goals of reducing recidivism, risky behaviors, and confinement for the girls who attend this court program. The present research demonstrates that the program does seem to be effective in terms of reducing both recidivism and risky behavior as well as increasing the development of prosocial and healthy relationships. The article concludes with some lessons learned from the implementation of this court program as well as ideas for future research.

The Latina penalty: Juvenile correctional attitudes toward the Latina juvenile offender

ABSTRACT This study investigates perceptions of Latina juvenile offenders among juvenile probation officers, judges, psychologists, and other juvenile correctional decision makers. Using in-depth interviews with 62 juvenile justice professionals, this article examines how gender and culture are constructed and how such constructions can lead correctional decision makers to stereotypical and oftentimes punitive recommendations and responses. Overall, the article finds that (a) the majority of professionals felt that Latina offenders engaged more often in sexual promiscuity, gang membership, and violence in comparison to their non-Latina counterparts; (b) the majority of professionals felt frustration or antipathy toward working with Latina offenders; and (c) few interviewees could articulate an understanding of what gender-specific or culturally specific programming might entail for Latina girls, nor could they identify such options in their districts. We conclude with recommendations for improving juvenile justice services directed at Latina offenders.

Beyond Confinement: The Regulation of Girl Offenders’ Bodies, Sexual Choices, and Behavior

Throughout transformations in juvenile justice, control over girls’ bodies, sexual behavior, and reproductive choices has remained a constant focal point among decision makers, with girls infrequently charged with serious law violations and commonly judged in terms of their moral welfare and chasteness. Using interview data with 62 court and correctional decision makers, this article examines how the contemporary juvenile justice system responds to girls’ sexual behavior and explores the policies and procedures used to restrain sexual agency and reproductive choices, both physically and cognitively. This article also investigates the penalties enforced when girls resist such controls as well as intentions toward change and reform in the system.

Bringing Latinas to the Forefront: Latina Girls, Women, and the Justice System

Latinas are a diverse group consisting of girls and women from various ethnicities, traditions, and histories. In the United States, Mexicans represent the largest Latino group, followed by Puerto Ricans, and Salvadorans. Approximately one third of Latinos in the United States are foreign-born and many live in mixed-status families (Stepler & Brown, 2016). While most Latinas speak Spanish, many do not (Krogstad & Gonzalez-Barrera, 2013). Yet, as a group, Latinas share certain demographics that place them at risk for adverse life outcomes. They lag behind other girls and women when it comes to educational achievement, health insurance coverage, and household income (Stepler & Brown, 2016). Latinas also face discrimination and racism at work, in schools, and in their neighborhoods. These demographic and contextual risk factors place Latinas at risk for involvement in the juvenile and criminal justice systems. Despite these risk factors, Latina girls and women remain largely invisible in criminological research. Research on Latinas in the juvenile justice and criminal justice systems is virtually nonexistent for several reasons. First, Latinos as a whole have historically been classified as White people in state and national surveys of official crime and delinquency. Second, when Latinas are included in the literature, their experiences are often blurred with those of Latino boys and men. Still, it is worth noting that Latinas are more likely than White women to be incarcerated in jails and prisons (Carson & Golinelli, 2014). Indeed, Latina women are incarcerated at 1.2 times the rate of White women (Sentencing Project, 2015). In this special issue, we sought to further understand the lived experiences of Latinas involved in the juvenile and criminal justice systems. To paraphrase feminist scholar Meda Chesney-Lind, we wanted to move beyond an “add Latinas and stir” approach by highlighting the voices and experiences of system-involved Latina girls