The U.S. has the highest rate of adolescent pregnancy in the industrial world. Teen mothers are less likely to go on to college. One in four is sexually abused before age 18. And these abused and traumatized girls often grow into women who struggle with mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety.

As female involvement in the juvenile justice system increases, the question "What about girls?" becomes more and more important. There are many challenges to this question:

• Demand for comprehensive needs assessments that identify gaps in the provision of services for girls
• The necessity of developing and implementing gender-specific services and programs designed to meet the unique needs of girls
• A limited understanding of what "works" for girls
• A growing number of female offenders
• The complex substance abuse and mental health treatment needs of girls

In addition, girls struggle every day with issues like poverty, race, violence and self-esteem. Many have faced family trauma. They need support and guidance beyond what the schools are able to provide. Adolescence is a difficult time for girls, even those who have a strong safety net of support at home. During these years, girls begin to separate from their families, assert their own identities, identify with their peers, redefine their relationships with nurturing adults, explore their sexuality, develop their moral and ethical sense and prepare for the responsibilities and challenges of adulthood. It is seldom a smooth or easy metamorphosis.

Just as girls and boys develop in different ways physically and emotionally, their pathways to delinquency are gender-specific, too. In order to understand the path of a delinquent girl, you must understand her challenges and needs:

• Challenged by poverty, homelessness, violence, inadequate health care and nutrition, and substance abuse, girls need physical safety and a place for healthy physical development
• Challenged by abandonment and family dysfunction, girls need trust, love, respect and validation from caring adults
• Challenged by sexist, racist or homophobic messages, girls need positive female role models to develop healthy identities as women
• Challenged by sexual abuse, exploitation and negative messages, girls need safety to explore sexuality at their own pace
• Challenged by a lack of family ties, negative peer influences, academic failure and low self-esteem, girls need to belong and to feel competent and worthy