Purpose The purpose of this paper is to highlight the neglect of girls in care who come into conflict with the law, arguing that a gender-neutral approach in this area risks further marginalising an already vulnerable population. Design/methodology/approach A critical review of the literature and current policy climate is undertaken to explore what is known about the experiences of females in the justice system, as well as knowledge gaps. Findings Evidence on the prevalence and nature of offending by girls in care is limited. However, as looked after children, girls may be more likely to have their own behaviour unnecessarily criminalised. Whilst females and males share some prior experiences of victimisation and trauma, girls also have distinct needs and may be assessed and managed by state care and control systems in very different ways. Research limitations/implications The paper is not based on primary research and does not present a systematic review of the literature. Practical implications The need to listen to girls and young women, and a far greater recognition of backgrounds of trauma must underpin future policy and practice. Diversion from the formal criminal justice system wherever possible is also a key goal to aspire to. Originality/value This paper focuses on the specific experiences of females. It calls for a gender-sensitive, trauma-informed approach to working with girls and women from the care system who come into conflict with the law, and questions the value of criminalising those whom the state previously deemed to be in need of welfare and support.

中文翻译：

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我们对照料和刑事司法系统中的女孩了解多少？

目的本文的目的是强调与法律相冲突的被照顾女孩的疏忽，认为在这一领域采取不分性别的做法可能会使已经脆弱的人口进一步边缘化。设计/方法/方法对文献和当前的政策环境进行了严格的审查，以探索有关司法系统中女性经历的知识以及知识差距。调查结果有关照料女孩的犯罪率和性质的证据有限。但是，照看孩子时，女孩可能更有可能将自己的行为不必要地定为犯罪。尽管男性和女性都有过受害和遭受创伤的先前经历，但女孩也有不同的需求，并且可能由国家护理和控制系统以不同的方式进行评估和管理。研究的局限性/意义本文不是基于基础研究，也没有对文献进行系统的综述。实际影响需要听取女孩和年轻妇女的声音，以及对创伤背景的更多认识，必须成为未来政策和实践的基础。尽可能地从正式的刑事司法系统转移出去也是渴望实现的主要目标。创意/价值本文着重于女性的特定经历。它呼吁采取一种对性别敏感的，具有创伤信息的方法，与照料系统中与法律相抵触的女孩和妇女开展工作，并质疑将先前认为该国需要福利和支持的人定为犯罪的价值。