The personal narrative of a 17-year-old status offender shows the links between the physical and sexual abuse of young women by their parents and their ultimate entry into the juvenile justice system. A history of the Lancaster School in Massachusetts, the first reform school for girls, demonstrates the pervasive influence of the 19th century view that women were essentially wives and mothers. Nevertheless, over the 50 years after its founding in 1857, Lancaster and schools like it became places of punishment and incarceration. An analysis of research on female juvenile delinquency notes that the lack of sound research has allowed stereotypes about sex roles to influence programs designed to prevent delinquency and to result in disparities in the handling of male and female juvenile delinquents. Ethnographic field research among juvenile prostitutes and interviews with prostitutes and other female delinquents revealed that the most important precursors to prostitution consists of sexual experience and conditioning which leads women to define their self-worth in sexual terms. A discussion of the sexual abuse of children by their parents notes that the large numbers of myths surrounding this subject have led to inappropriate interventions which tend to blame the victims and support the continued oppression of women and children. A description of the National Female Advocacy Project explains why it serves as a unique model for advocacy on behalf of young women. Chapter notes which include references are provided.