Girls’ Experiences With Violence

Abstract

A growing body of work has emerged that examines crime and delinquency as gendered events. Given the prevalence of violence in the lives of women and girls, scholars have used various theoretical perspectives, including feminist pathways and “doing gender,” to investigate the victimization–offending overlap. The authors contribute to this literature through an analysis of juvenile court records using a sample of at-risk girls. The authors identify the context of girls’ experiences as victims of violence, perpetrators of violence, and both victims and perpetrators of violence. The authors conclude with epistemological thoughts regarding transdisciplinary research on girls’ experiences with violence.