5/03/01--Boston College Law School Professor Francine Sherman contributed to and received special recognition in an American Bar Association/National Bar Association report on girls in the juvenile justice system entitled, "Justice by Gender: The Lack of Appropriate Prevention, Diversion, and Treatment Alternatives for Girls in the Justice System."

The authors of the groundbreaking report thank Professor Sherman as one of several individuals who made "invaluable contributions," and five of her articles are cited in the report. Her research into gender bias is also featured prominently, along with the Boston College Law School Juvenile Rights Advocacy Project.

"The joint ABA/NBA Report examines the increase in arrests of girls over the past decade, concluding that many girls who are victims of violence are swept into the justice system as a result of violence which occurs in their homes and relationships," Professor Sherman says. "It also finds that once in the system they are inadequately served by programs designed for boys, which do not take into account the particular developmental needs of girls and their staggering histories of trauma, as well as a system that punishes them for their failure to comply with rules that make little sense in light of their developmental needs."

The report, which was profiled in the Associated Press and in media outlets across the country, attempts to disprove the misconception that girls are becoming more violent, through a detailed analysis of the numbers and reasons behind the arrests of juvenile girls. It was produced by the ABA Juvenile Justice Center, in partnership with Leslie Acoca, Marty Beyer, Meda Chesney-Lind, Barbara Guthrie, Marsha Levick, LaWanda Ravoira, Francine Sherman, and Abbe Smith.

The full text of the report is available at http://www.abanet.org/crimjust/juvjus/justicebygender.pdf

The ABA/NBA press release is available at http://www.abanet.org/media/apr01/juvgirls.html