Are Canadian Girls Becoming More Violent? An Examination of Integrated Criminal Court Survey Statistics

Abstract

Girls often find themselves at the center of a moral panic surrounding youth crime with claims that their behavior is out of control in national news media. While media often readily suggests that crime among girls is on the rise, there is little scholarly consensus. This article explores the Integrated Criminal Court Survey to analyze whether guilty findings among girls are rising, what can be said about girls’ involvement in crime and violence over the past few decades, and how legislation changes and ideological shifts have altered how youth in conflict with the law have been treated.