Over the past decade, the number of girls involved with the juvenile justice system has risen rapidly and substantially. Despite the attention given to these increases, little research has documented the experiences of this population in these environments and their effect in developing a sense of community. Using data from an in-depth, qualitative interview study of 30 young women in the custody of youth corrections, this article describes the experiences of girls in genderspecific placements. Findings suggest that gender-specific services foster an increased sense of community, which has been linked to developing and integrating a healthy identity in adolescents. These findings have implications for policy and programming decisions as administrators and policy makers seek to stem the tide of female youthful offenders.
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