In 1992, the Department of Juvenile Justice in Maryland developed a task force to assess the needs of female offenders in the juvenile justice system. The task force recommended creation of a gender-specific program for girls in Baltimore City. Thus, the Female Intervention Team (FIT) was born. The FIT team includes 13 juvenile counselors/case managers and 1 juvenile counselor/supervisor. Ten of the case managers have an average caseload of 35 girls, who are typically 16-year-old African Americans from single-parent families. The program attempts to: assist girls with family relationships; teach them coping strategies to overcome domestic violence, physical and sexual abuse, and substance abuse; promote academic achievement and economic self-sufficiency; and assist them with childcare, transportation, and safe housing issues. Two years after FIT began, 50 percent fewer females were committed to Maryland's secure commitment facility. The team concept has been the key ingredient that has made FIT successful. References