From Vera Institute of Justice:
Too often, young people who are unsafe at home end up entangled in the juvenile legal system. This is particularly true for girls and gender expansive youth, who are often criminalized due to family conflict, abuse, and housing instability.
Bresha Meadows endured years of verbal and physical abuse from her father. She repeatedly reached out to family members, school staff, and even the police for help, to no avail. Then, one day when she was 14 years old, she used her father’s gun to kill him. Police arrested Meadows. A survivor of domestic abuse, she was held in juvenile detention for one year and then confined to a mental health treatment facility for six months as the details of her experience drew national attention.
While Meadows’s experience is among the most devastating examples, it is unfortunately rather routine for girls who are experiencing family conflict or violence to experience juvenile legal system involvement. One study shows that up to 84 percent of girls in the juvenile legal system have experienced family violence. Girls may run away to escape violence or abuse at home and subsequently encounter law enforcement. Efforts to escape abuse or unsafe home environments, like running away or needing money to survive independently, can make youth resort to minor offenses like shoplifting to meet basic needs, which can lead to their criminalization. Young people trying to escape are also vulnerable to commercial sexual exploitation—another major driver of incarceration for girls and gender expansive youth. Continue reading >>>
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