1. Violent female offending has increased by 48% in the last five years (Salman, 2009). The increase of female violent crime is thought to be specific to advanced industrial societies (Goldson, 2006). Are girls really becoming more like boys? This breaks our traditional ideologies of crime; an inherently male sphere. Race Gender is not enough! No crime exists in a vacuum. We cannot assume that female youth crime is all the same, with the same motivations, rationalisations, trains of thought and opportunities. A complex picture is painted. Black women are more likely to be found guilty or receive harsher sentences than white offenders (Soler, 2001). Ethnicity Class Women have always committed crimes, and therefore is not a new phenomenon in this sense. One of the guys (Miller, 2001). Crime is linked to masculinity Women are victims (Katz, 2000). Changes in police treatment and reaction to female violence (Weiler, 1999). More public crimes perhaps? The sex ratio of youth crime has not changed. Both boys and girls crimes have seen an increase. Has a political crack down on juvenile delinquency exacerbated attention to the prevalence of youth crime. Have we experienced a breakdown in morality? Fractured femininity. Girls have not been socialised correctly (Artz, 1998). Fostered by, and blamed on, the women’s movement (Adler, 1975). Environmental factors Lack of legitimate opportunities to feel self-worth. Failing to achieve in the school system. Adopt the “bad girl” image as a means to achieve status and power in adolescence (Chesney-Lind and Sheldon, 1998). One perspective fits all (Weiler, 1999). Ladette culture Intervention needs to accept that causes of female youth crime is often gender related (Weiler, 1999). Problematic as it causes us to re- evaluate the ways in which we define, manage and believe crime operates. Offenders can hold many identities; victim and perpetrator! Ideas of institutional racism Intersectionality Geographical location Do we have real reason to fear?Is this panic justified? An assumption that women are coerced into crime. Suggests they have no agency Myth? Changes risk groups and crime categories Creates the need to confront stereotypes A reason to study this topic! But is youth crime divisible by gender alone? What similarities exist? Have we incorrectly assumed that only men and boys hold the “ability” or “means” to commit crime, especially violent ones? Leads to female crime going unnoticed Reinforced by statistical insignificance Acquiring or imitating traits we have assigned to males Violence provide the shock factor to readers Plays on personal security fears to enhance and stimulate public concern Psychological interplay Telegraph headlines: “Savage cuts to youth spending could rob a generation of chances” (Williams, 2011). Necessary to understand the cultural context behind each informant. Feminist critique- can we draw generalisations from such findings? What makes UK different? Does physical position affect respondents flows and access to crime? Does it affect the type of crimes committed? Practicalities Access Result of the destabilisation of traditional gender roles. Are these legitimate reasons or excuses? Are these wider social changes implicated in the young female offenders experience of crime? Is there any evidence to suggest that there is a causal relationship? How, and to what extent is this fear played out in society and in what ways does this problematise preventative policies? By who? Political tool perhaps? Distraction from greater political issues? Will putting money into detention help the problem? Is this “universal” ideal suitable across age boundaries? But what about other crimes? Victims of what? Power and patriarchal structures Child empowerment How much agency do children have? 13 yr old girl mugs two adolescent men Sensitivities the problem Creates youth culture Legitimatising stereotypical images Encourage offenders to replicate “bad girl” images. Way to achieve status in society/peer groups Alienates and marginalizes Economics and resources Underlying motivations What crimes? Are there specific patterns? Operational ideas Social structures Power relationships Gangs Women’s employment opportunities Changes in family structures and composition Parental influences Reinforces stigma Backlash against constructions to conform The desire to rebel and be different To feel important and be someone in an increasingly diverse society Life experiences and personal biography Globalisation Technological advancement Causes Against who? Childhood in crisis? Consequence of wider social shifts