Criminalized Survivors: Today’s Abuse to Prison Pipeline for Girls
The new report from the Center on Gender Justice & Opportunity at Georgetown Law and Rights4Girls is a follow-up to our 2015 publication, The Sexual Abuse to Prison Pipeline: The Girls’ Story, examining where the pipeline is today for girls in the wake of the Black Lives Matter movement, #MeToo and the pandemic.
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Restorative Justice Practices
Our findings reveal that the interplay between restorative practices and adolescent health, race, and gender can no longer be overlooked. Proactive non-disciplinary RP was found to promote supportive school environments that enhance five key protective health factors for Black and Latina girls.
Aug 2023
Our research review examines a range of studies and finds that girls’ roles at home form a significant but invisible part of the care economy, which has substantial effects on their childhood, especially their experiences in school.
Jul 2022
Trauma & Mental Health
The Center on Gender Justice & Opportunity, under the leadership of Senior Scholar Thalia González, conducted a two-year study funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The project was designed to examine associations between school-based restorative practices and protective health factors for girls of color.
May 2021
Adultification Bias
The study is the first of its kind to focus on girls, and builds on previous research on adult perceptions of black boys.
Download Girlhood Interrupted Report
Jun 2017
Adultification Bias
Our latest report reflects research in which we listened to the voices of Black women and girls about their experiences, insights, and solutions with regards to adultification bias.
Download Listening to Black Women and Girls Report
Apr 2019
School & Pushout
Analysis with RISE Research Team at NYU of the latest data collected by the US Department of Education on discipline disparities in public school.
Download National Data on School Discipline by Race and Gender
Dec 2020
School & Pushout
This fact sheet presents the results of our 50-state assessment of Exclusionary School Discipline (ESD) legislative trends. We found that 32 states and the District of Columbia have enacted legislation addressing ESD.
Download 50-State Analysis of ESD Legislation
Nov 2020
Restorative Justice Practices
This fact sheet presents the results of our 50-state assessment of School-Based RJ legislative trends. We found that 21 states and the District of Columbia have enacted legislation supporting use of RJ in schools.
Download 50-State Analysis of School-Based RJ Legislation
Nov 2020
Trauma & Mental Health
The Georgetown Law Center on Poverty and Inequality developed this report Gender & Trauma, which explores how physically-based programs like yoga and mindfulness interventions can help girls in the Juvenile Justice system.
Download Gender & Trauma Report
Jun 2018
Juvenile Justice
This report exposes the ways in which we criminalize girls — especially girls of color — who have been sexually and physically abused, and it offers policy recommendations to dismantle the abuse to prison pipeline. It illustrates the pipeline with examples, including the detention of girls who are victims of sex trafficking, girls who run away or become truant because of abuse they experience, and girls who cross into juvenile justice from the child welfare system.
Download Sexual Abuse to Prison Pipeline Report
Jul 2015
Juvenile Justice
This report grows out of a conference held in 2013, that was hosted by Georgetown Law’s Center on Poverty and Inequality; the Human Rights Project for Girls; and The National Crittenton Foundation. The conference gathered survivors, direct service providers, advocates, and state and federal government officials to discuss the challenges of addressing the domestic sex trafficking of children and the importance of working collaboratively to help identify and support survivors.
Download Sex Trafficking of Girls Report
Jun 2014
Storytelling, Art, & Mindfulness
To truly support girls, we must hear their stories, respect their perspectives, witness their brilliance, heed their creativity, and recognize their resilience. This booklet reflects that philosophy. This compilation of girls’ visual and written work from across the country, created in partnership with rights4girls, reflects their experiences with the juvenile justice system, and it is intended to provide space for girls to express themselves and allows their work to stand on its own.
Download I Am the Voice Compilation
Oct 2018
School & Pushout
This toolkit is the culmination of a collaborative research project in which the Center and NBWJI gathered input from law enforcement and girls of color and provide guidance to improve interactions between them. The ultimate goal of the project was to reduce the disproportionate rate at which girls of color are drawn into the juvenile justice system.
Download Be Her Resource Report
Sep 2017
Trauma & Mental Health
We are proud to release a fact sheet authored by Scholar Chloe B. McKenzie, a financial literacy expert and founder and CEO of BlackFem, Inc. The fact sheet outlines how the wealth gap could be narrowed by financial literacy education, if curricula recognize and repair the financial harms that have affected Black women. The fact sheet defines three key concepts that must be addressed: financial shaming, financial abuse, and financial trauma.
Mar 2022
Juvenile Justice
This report from the Girls at the Margin National Alliance, co-authored by the Center as a steering committee member of the Alliance, highlights the systemic harms experienced by girls and offers solutions to support girls and gender-expansive young people so that they may lead full and complete lives. The report offers insight and policy recommendations across nine core areas including, child welfare, sex trafficking, gender violence, education, immigration, pregnant and parenting youth, the legal system, runaway and homeless youth, and health and healing.
Download the National Policy Platform
Feb 2022
Adultification Bias
Inspired by the Center’sGirlhood Interrupted report, the Innocence Initiative, comprised of five local organizations — MEASURE, Girls Scouts of Central Texas, Hearts2Heal, Lone Star Justice Alliance, and Community Advocacy and Healing Project — has developed a multi-pronged effort to reduce adultification bias in its community. Download The Innocence Initiative: Translating National Research into Local Action in Central Texas to learn more.
Download The Innocence Initiative: Translating National Research into Local Action in Central Texas
Jun 2021
Juvenile Justice
The Center on Gender Justice & Opportunity has partnered with Restorative Empowerment for Youth (REY) to offer and evaluate a pilot online restorative justice program developed for girls of color to support more inclusive, culturally responsive, and connected learning environments in Fall 2020. Download the Case Study: Restorative Empowerment for Youth Pilot Training Program for Girls of Color to learn more.
Download Case Study on Restorative Empowerment for Youth Pilot Training Program
Mar 2021
School & Pushout
This brief illustrates the need for school-based Restorative Justice policies and procedures for marginalized girls to achieve higher educational attainment and lifelong health benefits and success. The brief focuses on three key points: 1) education is a key social determinant of health; 2) feeling connected to school is crucial to health and school success; and 3) restorative justice can help marginalized girls feel connected to school.
Download School Connectedness for Girls Report
Dec 2019
School & Pushout
This compendium of policy and practice recommendations aggregates a set of proposals to enhance mental health outcomes and thriving for girls of color.
Download Policy and Practice Recommendations Report
Jun 2019
School & Pushout
One of four issue briefs, published in partnership with Dr. Kimberlyn Leary, assessing the challenges and successes of school-based mental health care for girls of color and analyzing the broader context of mental health and communities of color
Download Promise and Challenge of School-Based Mental Health Care Report
Jun 2019
Trauma & Mental Health
One of four issue briefs, published in partnership with Dr. Kimberlyn Leary, assessing the challenges and successes of school-based mental health care for girls of color and analyzing the broader context of mental health and communities of color.
Download Mental Health & Girls of Color Report
Jun 2019
Trauma & Mental Health
One of four issue briefs, published in partnership with Dr. Kimberlyn Leary, assessing the challenges and successes of school-based mental health care for girls of color and analyzing the broader context of mental health and communities of color.
Download Mental Health & Communities of Color Report
Jun 2019
To request hard copies of our reports, email genderjusticecenter@georgetown.edu.
For a hard copy of “I Am the Voice: Girls’ Reflections on their Experiences with the Juvenile Justice System,” click the button below and submit an order form.
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Archewell Foundation
We were honored to be named as a Champion of Gender Equity by Archewell Foundation, founded by Prince Harry & Me...
Young Women of Color Discuss Criminalization of Black Girls with Georgetown Law’s Kristin Henning
The Collective Identity Mentoring Program
University of Delaware
Listening to Black Girls in Delaware
ABC11 News
Plight of Black girls in Wake County schools focus of town hall.
Statesman
Giving City: Impact Austin announces new grant to address inequity
