This paper examines the reliance of American school-based sexuality education (SBSE) programs on a moralistic agenda and several presuppositions of adolescent sexuality, resulting in a biased and inadequate approach to sexuality education. Furthermore, by virtue of its authoritative position, SBSE serves as an influential force in the construction of 'normal' adolescent sexuality and in the pro duction of a particular kind of sexual teen. A multidisciplinary collection of comments and criticisms of SBSE are organized into a three-pronged critique: (1) SBSE attends exclusively to the dangers and risks associated with teen sex; (2) SBSE reifies narrow definitions of normal teen sex as heterosexual and coital; (3) SBSE fails to address the interplay among gender, race, class and sexuality, while simultaneously propagating sexist, racist, and classist notions of sexuality. Through these presumptions and stereotypes, SBSE (mis)informs teens, projecting a particular message and vision of who and how teens are a...

The Trouble of Teen Sex: The construction of adolescent sexuality through school-based sexuality education

Relying on interpretations of the symbolic threat thesis as a theoretical framework, in particular the emphasis on the perceptions of decision-makers and stereotyping, the authors examine the extent to which the effects of race on youth justice outcomes are influenced by gender and family status. They are especially interested in the individual and joint effects among the three. Although some studies in the adult literature have examined these variables, research on the influence of race, gender, and family status on juvenile justice decision-making is lacking. The inquiry is on four juvenile court jurisdictions in Iowa. The results from logistic regressions indicate that being African American affects justice outcomes, outcomes for Whites are conditioned by gender and family status, and decision-making should be viewed as a process involving both severe and lenient outcomes.

The Individual And Joint Effects Of Race, Gender, And Family Status On Juvenile Justice Decision-Making

Although boys engage in more delinquent and criminal acts than do girls, female delinquency is on the rise. In 1980, boys were four times as likely as girls to be arrested; today they are only twice as likely to be arrested. In this article, Elizabeth Cauffman explores how the juvenile justice system is and should be responding to the adolescent female offender. Cauffman begins by reviewing historical trends in arrest rates, processing, and juvenile justice system experiences of female offenders. She also describes the adult outcomes commonly observed for female offenders and points out that the long-term consequences of offending for females are often more pronounced than those for males, with effects that extend to the next generation. She also considers common patterns of offending in girls, as well as factors that may increase or decrease the likelihood of offending. She then reviews what is known about effective treatment strategies for female offenders. Female delinquents have a high frequency of mental health problems, suggesting that effective prevention efforts should target the mental health needs of at-risk females before they lead to chronic behavior problems. Once girls with mental health problems come into the juvenile justice system, says Cauffman, diverting them to community-based treatment programs would not only improve their individual outcomes, but allow the juvenile justice system to focus on cases that present the greatest risk to public safety. Evidence is emerging that gender-specific treatment methods can be effective for female offenders, especially when treatment targets multiple aspects of offenders' lives, including family and peer environments. But it is also becoming clear that female offenders are not a homogeneous group and that treatment ultimately should be tailored to suit individual needs defined more specifically than by gender alone. Despite myriad differences between male and female offending, many of the primary causes of offending, says Cauffman, are nevertheless similar. The most effective policies for reducing juvenile crime, she argues, will be those that foster development in a safe and nurturing environment throughout childhood. Cauffman concludes that female offenders are likely to require continued support long after their direct involvement with the juvenile justice system.

/pdf/understanding-the-female-offender-2jc57o4981.pdf

Understanding the female offender.

In this essay, the authors consider the challenge made by two keynote speakers at recent social work research conferences, one in the United States and the other in Europe. Both spoke of a knowledg...

The Coming Crisis in Social Work: Some Thoughts on Social Work and Science.

/pdf/high-tech-or-high-risk-moral-panics-about-girls-online-umc352epl1.pdf

Regina Morantz-Sanchez

Papers

Delinquent Daughters: Protecting and Policing Adolescent Female Sexuality in the United States, 1885-1920 Mary E. Odem