The Role of Gender in Detention Dispositioning of Juvenile Probation Violators

Although youth detention facilities were originally intended for the temporary care and custody of minors awaiting court adjudication, they have become settings for punishing juvenile probationers who misbehave. This article examines the determinants of detention outcomes for juvenile probation violators. Specifically, it focuses on the relationship between gender and detention length. Data were derived from case files of youths ordered into detention by an Illinois juvenile court for technical probation infractions. Statistical results indicate that females are incarcerated longer than males for disobeying probation rules. Interviews with probation staff illuminate both personal and contextual factors that may account for the gender-based disparity in the application of detention.