A review of the number and offenses of female delinquents who went through the San Francisco juvenile court system in 1984 indicates that a relatively small percentage of females committed offenses, and most of the offenses were status offenses, shoplifting, or minor infractions. Probation officers are uncomfortable working with female probationers because they have not committed serious offenses, and they present multiple problems, many of which they conceal because they are rooted in family problems they are reluctant to discuss, often sexual abuse. The probation officer is usually expected to supervise the probationer within the family context, even though the family environment may be abusive. Probation officers receive no training in the particular problems of female delinquents, and the system in general has failed to analyze the needs of female delinquents and develop programs and services to meet them.