Special Programs
Arizona Girls' Initiative

ARIZONA GIRLS
Growing Girls for Greatness

The Arizona Girls Initiative was spearheaded by a group of professionals in juvenile justice and child serving agencies in the state including the Arizona Department of Juvenile Corrections (ADJC), People of Color Network, Value Options, Florence Crittenton, the Juvenile Justice Service Division of the Administrative Office of the Courts (AOC), and the Department of Health Services (DHS). The group has been seeking to address the unique problems affecting the female population involved in the juvenile justice, behavioral health, and educational systems in Arizona.

It is important for all professionals and state policymakers to recognize that the nature and causes of girls’ delinquency and other social issues are very different from that of boys and must be addressed in a different manner. Girls in state systems are often connected to conflicts in familial and social relationships. In addition, they are often placed in settings and institutions that are neither designed for, nor proven effective in, educational and community support. Many are subjected to institutional bias in the processing and handling of their cases.

In order to better understand the needs and current resources for girls within the state, the Arizona Girls Initiative team arranged statewide focus groups with key stakeholders, community representatives, and girls impacted by the various child serving systems. The focus groups were planned and facilitated by a consultant who ensured community-wide participation representative of a largely diverse Arizona population. Questions were asked of the participants that elicited their views regarding girls programming, beliefs, issues, and needs. Answers from the adult participants differed greatly from the answers provided by girls who participated in a Blog available to them anonymously on the Internet. The results of the focus groups and the girls’ answers on the Blog are included in a report produced by the consultants which can be found on this site.

At this time the Arizona Girls Initiative group is developing a Technical Assistance Document (TAD) for the Arizona Department of Health Services regarding the need for gender specific services for girls in Arizona.

There will also be a statewide conference on girls’ issues later this year or early next year.

The Arizona Girls Initiative hopes the work they do will ultimately lead to the implementation of a continuum of “best practices” programs for rehabilitating girls across the state.