You know how you always hear about how teen girls today are more violent and slutty than ever? Well, we've always been suspicious of these claims, as they are the same things people have been saying about girls since forever, and they're entirely anecdotal.
But two can play at anecdotes: the teen girls we know are hard-working, savvy and responsible when it comes to their bodies and relationships. (Maybe that's because we're just an awesome godmother, but we suspect it's because girls today have more freedom and more information than ever and those are good things.)
Now there's a new study backing us up: the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) has published "Violence by Teenage Girls: Trends and Context." The first in a series of publications from OJJDP's Girls Study Group, the bulletin assesses trends of juvenile arrest rates for violent crimes.
Here's an excerpt:
Available evidence based on arrest, victimization, and self-report data suggests that although girls are currently arrested more for simple assaults than previously, the actual incidence of their being seriously violent has not changed much over the last two decades. This suggests that increases in arrests may be attributable more to changes in enforcement policies than to changes in girls' behavior. Juvenile female involvement in violence has not increased relative to juvenile male violence. There is no burgeoning national
crisis of increasing serious violence among adolescent girls.
And yet, this clarification is getting practically no media attention. Maybe that's because good news doesn't sell magazines, whereas everyone wants to read something called BAD GIRLS GO WILD.
Reader Comments ( Page 1 of 1)
1. ""The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention"". What the heck is this? You know what this "Office" sounds like to me Ada....tax payers paying salaries to people who are other wise unemployable in the open market.
Willet at 3:01PM on Jul 11th 2008
2. It would seem that teenage girls are more promiscuous, competitive, vengeful and phony than ever.
Evil? Maybe not.
Possessed by evil?
Not, THAT'S a good question to ponder.
Nina at 5:14PM on Jul 11th 2008
3. If they aren't evil now, give them a few years.
Captain Negative at 6:07PM on Jul 11th 2008
4. First, it was burning bras. Now they're busting steroetypes, along with a little place called the Internet, where they can explore things once taboo in virtua. It takes parents who are AWARE to keep reasonable checks and balances in place, but unfortunately, far too few exist. The remainder are in denial. Hence, 'Girls Gone Wild', "I kissed a Girl &..." 'Tila Tequila' (now THERE'S a role model for young women!) etc...........
Robert at 7:28PM on Jul 11th 2008
5. Oh, please, Robert, let's not get carried away here. The vast majority of crime (violent or otherwise) is still overwhelmingly committed by males. Somehow I don't think women 'burning their bras' back in the day has resulted in an avalanche of women serial killers.
David S. at 11:32PM on Jul 11th 2008
6. The perception of increased teen violence is due to the "zero tolerance" policies of our police-state, draconian government that believes "cracking down" is the way to solve any problem. Things that we did as kids (I'm in my 50's) that got a lecture or a even a laugh now get a jail sentence or at least a record. So much of normal behavior is being criminalized in Amerika that almost everyone in this nation breaks some law a few times a week without knowing it. This is so they can pick you up any time you get out of line and they feel like they want to shut you up or stop you or just scare some people of any dissent. Our Founding Fathers are rolling in their graves. It is things like the FISA Act and the Patriot Act that our Founding Fathers risked everything for. It is the very freedoms that Clinton and Bush have destroyed that are the freedoms my dad fought WWII for and my big brother fought for in VietNam. What has happened under the past few administrations is disgusting. That there are so-called "Americans" who support it is even MORE disgusting.
John at 11:39PM on Jul 11th 2008
7. I know many young women, my daughters and their peers,18,19 yrs and they are just like myself, my peers and my sisters were back in the '70's, just living in a different time.
Loretta at 11:50PM on Jul 11th 2008
8. I MADE IT TO U.S. SUPREME COURT "The petition for a writ of certiorarari in the above entitled case was filed on April 21, 2008 and placed on the docket June 30, 2008 as No. 08-3."
WILLIAM K. SUTER, CLERK.......
BELOW YOU'LL SEE OHIO SUPREME COURT REFUSED TO HEAR IT AND IF YOU GOOGLE SEARCH MY NAME ABE AYAD - Google Search YOU'LL ALSO SEE THE COURT OF APPEALS DROP THE BALL UNDER PRESSURE OF ABE FOXMAN OF THE ANTI DEFAMATION LEAGUE
Ayad v. Radio One, Inc. (Ohio 2007 00:00:00) - Ohio Supreme Court - vLex
MORE TO COME SOON
ABE AYAD
Abeco at 11:30AM on Jul 12th 2008
9. "and self-report data suggests..."
So much laughter, so little time!!!!!
Here's my self-report data: I am a 400 year old alien from the planet gurgleburgledooptydoo.
And this is the absolute truth. If you don't believe me there is a report out that uses my self-report data. Even if it had been a lie before, now it's not because the report says so.
oneblood at 5:31AM on Jul 13th 2008
10. Saying teen GIRLS are evil without a second thought to teen BOYS is a joke, right? Boys today are way worse than 'way back when'. Their behavior is even more absurd and violent than the nineties. Take it from a 16 year old girl. I know what I am talking about.
Olivia at 9:00AM on Jul 13th 2008
11. Guess they don't watch the Maury show,where the truth is told.
The baby's daddy at 2:14PM on Jul 13th 2008
12. i wouldn't say they were more evil. they just do MORE stuff to get attention these days. things that were done even 10yrs ago don't get an eye bat. so they have to move on to more drastic measures. of course, they also have to put it out there for the world to see. now TECHNOLOGY has helped advance our knowledge of what kids are and aren't doing these days. girl fights have been around for a loooooooooong time. so has bullying. but with more "zero tolerance" policies and camera phones, we get to see it all go down. so yeah, the activity levels are about the same as they used to be. it's just that now days we can ALL see and hear it.
Devynn at 4:10PM on Jul 13th 2008
13. Evil?
Maybe that's two strong of a word.
But some of these girls today sure are down right nasty and cruel to one another.
Units at 5:19PM on Jul 13th 2008