The Myth of the “New” Female Delinquent

Abstract

In recent years, research on the topic of female crime and delinquency has focused on the relationship between the women's liberation movement and increasing female criminal activity. This analysis takes issue with the contention that the women's movement has resulted in a rapid change in both the quantity and quality of female offenses. Through an examination of the Philadelphia Family Court System, the author argues that changes in the rate of female delinquent activity as well as in the disposition of youthful offenders are the results of legal and political shifts in orientation. Three significant political-legal periods are identified between 1960 and 1980: (1) a “paternalistic” period (1960-1967), during which female delinquents were harshly treated by the courts “for their own good”; (2) a “due process” era (1968-1976), which reflects the spirit of the Gault decision; and (3) a “law and order” phase (1977-1980), during which the court adjusted to the new conservatism of the late seventies.