Objective: Debate ensues regarding female-specific risk and strength factors among adolescent offenders. Using meta-analysis, we examined whether risk and strength factors predicted recidivism differentially between male and female youth. Method: Database searches identified 22 studies, representing 50,601 justice-involved youth (11,952 females and 38,649 males) and a total of 584 effect sizes. Results: For the global risk domains, there is some evidence for gender neutrality (i.e., risk factors predict to the same degree for both males and females) among most domains (e.g., antisocial peer relations, problematic family circumstances and parenting, substance abuse, antisocial personality/behavior, and antisocial attitudes/orientation). Although the global domains of mental health and child abuse were not significantly predictive for either gender, the global child abuse results trended in favor of predicting recidivism for females. When global risk domains were broken into indicators, some evidence for gender differences emerged (e.g., chronic alcohol use and family substance abuse predicted more strongly for females than for males). Last, gender comparisons among the global strength domains revealed that prosocial peers and the absence of substance abuse predicted success (i.e., no recidivism) for both genders, though a stronger effect emerged for males. In addition, education/employment strengths predicted success for males, whereas prosocial values predicted success for females. Limitations such as the lack of studies that defined constructs from the female experience, and the small number of primary studies are discussed. Conclusions: Advancing the future of gender informed practice with justice-involved youth will require careful consideration of both gender similarities and differences. What is the public health significance of this article?This study highlights the importance of considering gender differences as well as similarities in risk and strength factors when working with justice-involved youth, particularly when broad level constructs are disaggregated. Especially when working with girls in a justice context, factors that emerge with smaller effect sizes (e.g., abuse and mental health) or not significantly related to outcome may still be relevant in providing holistic and responsive services and, as such, should not be ignored.

The purpose of this study was to ascertain effects of individual client-centered play therapy on sexually abused children’s mood, self-concept, and social competence. A weekly client-centered play therapy protocol was utilized with 26 cases of 3 to 9 year-old sexually abused children for approximately ten sessions. All 26 subjects and parents completed an assessment battery before and immediately after treatment, and 24 cases completed a two-month follow-up battery. Overall, findings indicate mixed support for the efficacy of play therapy. Although there was initial support for improvement in the childrens’ perceptions of competency, other group comparison results indicated no statistical significance. Utilizing the Reliable Change Index formula, 8 children clinically improved, 4 deteriorated, 4 improved with follow-up deterioration, and 8 cases indicated no significant change. Additional qualitative severity comparisons, research limitations, and a discussion of the impact on current practice follow.

Sufficient evidence exists that gender should and does matter in offender management. This study examined the predictive validity of risk and strength factors extracted from the Youth Assessment and Screening Instrument (YASI) and the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI) in a sample of 254 justice-involved youth (148 males, 106 females) from Ontario, Canada. Overall, total risk scores from both measures predicted recidivism (area under receiver operator characteristic curve [AUCs] = .62-.70). Domain-level analyses illustrated that criminal attitudes and associates (scored as risks or protective/strengths) were among the strongest predictors of recidivism in both genders. The YASI demonstrated strong convergent validity with the YLS/CMI. The results support the YASI and the YLS/CMI as viable risk assessment measures for justice-involved male and female youth. Given that the YASI includes both gender neutral and gender responsive items, it may be a particularly good choice for use with justice-involved females.

How complex trauma features and criminogenic needs co-vary within youth justice populations requires examination. This study applies latent profile analysis to a sample of 311 justice-involved Canadian youth (211 male, 100 female) to identify if unique profiles of youth would emerge delineated by different combinations of comorbid needs pulled from complex trauma and personality/social learning models. Two similar profiles emerged for males and females alike: a complex trauma with criminogenic needs profile (70% of females, 58.8% of males) and a low overall needs profile (30% of females, 41.2% of males). Surprisingly, the Youth-Level Service/Case Management Inventory predicted recidivism well among the complex trauma/criminogenic need female cases (AUC = .71), but poorly among the complex trauma/criminogenic need male cases (AUC = .59). Trauma-informed approaches that target criminogenic needs in both genders is a clear implication of the findings.

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