Line
Maryland
Line

State Demographics

In 1996, Maryland's youth population under age 18 was approximately 1,286,200 (Casey Foundation 1998).

Of the State's children, approximately 7 percent were living in families with incomes below 50 percent of the poverty level in 1995. Further, it is estimated that in 1995, approximately 17 percent of Maryland's children under age 13 were living in working-poor families or families where at least one parent was working 50 or more hours a week but the family's income was still below the poverty level (Casey Foundation 1998).

Maryland ranked 28th in the country in terms of teen birth rate for 1995. This same year, the birth rate in the State was approximately 32 births per 1,000 young women ages 15-17. This was up from 29 births per 1,000 young women in 1985 (Casey Foundation 1998).

Overview of the Juvenile Justice System

In Maryland, Circuit Court judges provide original and exclusive jurisdiction over juvenile court hearings for youth in all subdivisions, except Montgomery County, where juvenile court jurisdiction is assigned to the District Court. In some areas, Juvenile Masters-in-Chancery hear juvenile cases under the supervision of Circuit Court judges (Maryland Governor's Office of Justice Administration 1994, p. 27).

Since 1967, the Maryland Department of Juvenile Services (DJS) has been responsible for the delivery of services for juvenile offenders to the juvenile courts throughout the State. DJS is mandated to provide services statewide for juveniles from status offenders to delinquents who are under the age of 18. To this end, DJS provides a wide array of prevention and intervention programs that are community-based. Further, they administer six juvenile detention centers, five youth centers, one multiservice facility, one training school operated by Youth Services International under a private contract, and 30 private residential facilities for delinquent youth. The State has one facility, housed at the Cheltenham Campus, that has secure care beds available for young women offenders (Maryland Governor's Office of Justice Administration 1994, pp. 25-26).

The State's Formula Grants Program is housed with the Governor's Office of Justice Administration.

Offense Patterns and Processing of Juvenile Female Offenders

The following statistics give an overview of the information available on female offending and processing patterns in Maryland:

  • In 1993, about 55 percent of all female cases were closed or disapproved at intake as opposed to 39 percent of the male cases. Further, 18 percent of the female cases were handled informally as opposed to 14 percent of the male cases, and 25 percent of the female cases were handled formally as opposed to 45 percent of the male cases (Maryland Governor's Office of Justice Administration 1994, p. 48).

  • Also in 1993, about 38 percent of adjudicated young women were placed on probation or protective supervision. An additional 27.8 percent were placed in secure detention, 12 percent in shelter care, and 12 percent in other residential settings. Only 6.3 percent were placed in secure care (at the Cheltenham Young Women's Facility), and 2 percent were waived to adult court (Maryland Governor's Office of Justice Administration 1994).

  • In 1992, young women represented 13 percent (723) of the youth admitted to detention and 5 percent (61) of the youth committed (Poe-Yamagata and Butts 1996, p. 19).

Table 11. Maryland Top 10 Female Offenses, 1993

Offense

NumberPercent

Assault

2,15221.5

Theft

1,51015.1

Shoplifting

1,02810.3

Ungovernable behavior

7347.3

Alcohol violations

5675.7

Runaway

4594.6

Auto theft/unauthorized use

4204.2

Other

419 4.2

Unspecified misdemeanor

368 3.7

Disorderly conduct

357 3.6

Source: Maryland Governor's Office of Justice Administration (1994)

Approach to Female Offenders

Before applying for funds under Challenge Activity E, DJS made juvenile female offenders a State priority. In 1992, the State developed a Female Population Task Force designed to focus attention on the needs of young female offenders and to gather statistical data on how young women were processed through Maryland's juvenile justice system.

Initially the task force mission was to establish a profile of this population, identify their specific needs, and design a plan to meet those needs. As part of this effort, the task force published its first annual report in November 1993. The report described the status of the adolescent female offender in Maryland and the services and programs available to her (Maryland Governor's Office of Justice Administration 1994, p. 45). For information on receiving a copy of this report, see Appendix B, Available State Products.

Among other accomplishments, the task force has achieved the following: training on working with pregnant and parenting teens was provided to DJS staff by the Maryland Infants and Toddlers Program; a specialized training program entitled Sensitivity to Sex Abuse Survivors was developed and administered to all DJS staff and all institutional staff in the State; and a 10-week parenting skills curriculum for both young men and young women was implemented in all DJS committed facilities (Maryland Governor's Office of Justice Administration 1994, p. 45).

One of the most innovative ways the task force and DJS chose to address the needs of the juvenile female offender population was to create a specialized Female Intervention Team (FIT) probation unit in Baltimore. Begun in 1992, the unit consists of probation officers who have volunteered to work with all female clients and have received specialized training to assist them in their efforts. The FIT unit offers young women offenders unique services built around their developmental and relational needs.

In a related effort, the Female Population Task Force also sanctioned a complete redesign of the Cheltenham Young Women's Facility treatment program. With assistance from CRA, through OJJDP's technical assistance program, a committee created a draft program redesign to implement in the secure care facility. For information on receiving a copy of this program redesign, see Appendix B, Available State Products.

Finally, the Maryland State Advisory Group also requested and received training on gender-specific services and the unique needs of female juvenile offenders through OJJDP's technical assistance program.

References

Annie E. Casey Foundation. 1998. KIDS COUNT Online Data Service. Annie E. Casey Foundation, Baltimore, MD.

Maryland Governor's Office of Justice Administration. 1994. Maryland's Three Year Comprehensive State Plan for Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. Submitted to the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Washington, DC.

Poe-Yamagata, E., and J.A. Butts. 1996. Female Offenders in the Juvenile Justice System: Statistics Summary. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, Washington, DC.

Line
Juvenile Female Offenders: A Status of the States Report October 1998