The results reveal that the respondents had fallen an average of one grade level behind their age group in school; over half had failed one or more grades. A previous finding, that school failure was linked to recidivism, was borne out by the fact that over 90 percent of the female juvenile offenders in Arizona had more than one serious arrest. Compared to 10 percent of the general population that requires special education, 27 percent of the female juvenile offenders interviewed had some degree of educational handicap. Handicapped female juvenile offenders were more likely than nonlearning handicapped female juvenile offenders to have been incarcerated for the first time, to have been with female friends during the commission of the crime, to have failed one or more grades in school, and to have belonged to a gang. 4 tables and 20 references (Author abstract modified)