By Marcela Moralez-Morris, Supervisor of Girls Court Program, 17th Circuit Court
The 17th Circuit Court created a Girls Court to address the growing trend of female juvenile offenders who come in contact with law enforcement and the court system. Female offenders are increasing significantly nationwide, but the services available to help these young ladies are limited.
Judge Patricia Gardner spearheaded the 17th Circuit’s creation of the Girls Court program. She explains the program model, “Look, girls are different than boys. And to be successful in intervening in the life of a girl, you can't use a boys' model. These girls have often had issues with rape, sexual exploitation, human trafficking, prostitution, or sexual abuse issues.”
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| Judge Patricia Gardner (center right, in light blue) and the Girls Court treatment team recognize the success of Girls Court graduates at a Kent County Board of Commissioners meeting |
“You need to
use a different model to help these young women to be successful and to not
throw them back to the community without addressing the underlying trauma that
they have endured,” says Judge Gardner. The Girls Court addresses the girls’
trauma by providing
intensive, comprehensive services. Some
of the services provided are individual trauma-focused therapy, mentoring,
parent education groups with a focus on parenting a child who has experienced
trauma, incentives, and multiple group activities to enhance the young girl’s
cultural experiences.
The Kent County Girls Court works in
collaboration with Wedgwood Christian Services and Community Family Partnership
through Network 180 to provide therapy and resources to our families. Because of this amazing partnership, the
funding to start Girls Court was minimal. Kent County has an abundance of
resources available to support the ongoing success of Girls Court.
Girls Court has a team of
professionals to work with the girls and to implement programming. The team is all
female and includes the judge, the program supervisor, the probation officer, a
trauma-informed therapist, a guardian ad litem attorney to represent the best
interests of the girls, and a team of surveillance officers.
"We
think that these young girls require positive modeling of strong women, who can
see in them positive skill sets and encourage them," says Judge Gardner.
The Kent County Girls Court is a 6-month
program with a 30-day aftercare component. The girls present their progress
before the judge in biweekly court hearings for the first 90 days. After
successful completion of the first 90 days, the girls progress to monthly
hearings.
All the girls and their families are present
for each of the girls’ presentations during the court hearing. This allows for the girls to support one
another and for the families to see that they are not alone in some of the
struggles they face. Over the past year,
we have experienced bonds being created among the families involved. It is heartwarming to see the connections and
support the families give to one another.
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| Through their participation in the Girls Court program, these young women form supportive bonds with one another. |
Girls Court completed its first full year
in December 2017. The outcomes from 2017 showed significant improvement in
school attendance, reduced recidivism, and reduced out-of-home placements. More
importantly, the girls have developed lasting relationships with members of
Girls Court and have built stronger relationships within their families and
communities.
Learn
more about our Girls Court model by watching this short video: https://youtu.be/OU029spAMng.