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The Rising Criminalization of Black Girls [citylab.com]

 

The kids are not alright—well, not all of them.

In Washington, D.C., the percentage of young black girls entering the juvenile justice system has risen dramatically, even as that of young black boys has decreased. Young black girls are now likely to be arrested at 30 times the rate of white boys and girls together, according to a new report by the advocacy group Rights4Girls and the Georgetown Juvenile Justice Initiative.

“Girls of color are dealing with challenges posed by racism but they're also suffering as a result of adversity due to sexism,” said Yasmin Vafa, co-founder and executive director of Rights4Girls, who co-authored the report.

For a while now, Vafa’s organization has been observing this trend in many parts of the country. She explored the reasons behind it in a previous report she co-authored, which outlined how gender-based violence disproportionately affects young girls of color, and often triggers their entry into the juvenile justice system. As it is currently set up, this system tends to penalize young girls of color who experience trauma, instead of helping them overcome it, she explained. Victims of sex trafficking, for example, can be arrested on charges of prostitution; young girls who face issues at home can be booked into jail for running away, breaking local curfew, or skipping school—even if they’re doing so to escape abuse or harassment; if they’re involved in a domestic scuffle, even in self-defense, they may be detained through mandatory arrest policies; and even their behavior at school is disproportionately scrutinized, punished, and criminalized.

[For more on this story by TANVI MISRA, go to https://www.citylab.com/equity...ack-girls-dc/556127/]

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