The state’s juvenile justice association has received $43,000 dollars from the Department of Public Safety to improve their programs for girls. The Association’s director, Vivian Murphy, says it’s an area both the state and federal government need to look at, because the number of girls in the system is increasing every year.
She says girls need different kinds of counseling than boys do, and so this grant will help with programs like “Girls Circle” or “Girl Matters” that focus on a girl’s self-esteem and the way girls look at their lives. Murphy says this is important because girls react differently than boys in situations, especially when they’re young. Murphy says the girls she works with are between 12 and 17 years old. Murphy says hopefully this will decrease the number of girls that are repeat offenders.