Out of sight, out of compliance: US detained girls’ health justice

Abstract

Due to an overreliance on arrests in the late 1990s, the incarceration of young women in the United States increased dramatically. On any given day in 2010, over 9000 girls were held in residential placement. Largely hidden from public view, little is known about the health requirements of female adolescent offenders in US secure custody. Less is known about how those needs are met while in detention. Curiously, while most theories regarding female juvenile delinquency draw upon non-criminogenic health-related factors – sexual abuse, family violence, and low self-esteem – their specific legal troubles are rarely, if ever, framed in public health terms. Drawing on original interviews with 100 court-involved girls, detainees’ perceptions of their medical, psychological, sexual, and social health concerns are highlighted. The data link court-involved girls’ prior health issues to their coming to the attention of juvenile authorities as well as demonstrating possible non-compliance with domestic and international standards for the health rights of juveniles deprived of their liberty.

Keywords:

• detained girls
• health conditions
• delinquency as public health concern, correctional health care
• children’s rights

Acknowledgements

This work would not have been possible without funding from the Woodrow Wilson Foundation, a Fulbright-Garcia Robles Fellowship, support from the University of Illinois at Chicago Office of Social Science Research, and the collaboration of the Chicago, Illinois Health and Medicine Policy Research Group. The author would also like to acknowledge the support of Maria Krysan, Erica Meiners, Beth Richie, Barbara Risman, Gayatri Reddy, and the young women who bravely shared their insights with her.