The neophyte female delinquent: a review of the literature.

During the 1950s, most of the attention on juvenile delinquency concentrated on males. Recently, however, the incidence of female delinquency has escalated. Female delinquency that did exist a generation ago centered primarily on sexual misconduct; today, much greater numbers of females are involved in armed robbery, gang activity, drug trafficking, burglary, weapons possession, aggravated assault, and prostitution. Research on the etiology of this behavior is inconclusive, with some of the theories centering around dysfunctional families, victimization, aggression, neglect, rejection, physical and sexual abuse, self-perception, gender role, and intellectual ability. This paper attempts to ascertain the status of female delinquency, with special focus on definition, etiology, and treatment.