Many discussions of juvenile delinquency focus on male delinquents, although about one-fourth of those arrested for juvenile offenses are female. Recent research reveals that both male and female juvenile delinquents are young, poor, and often members of minority groups. However, females' offenses tend to be less serious than those committed by males and are more often juvenile status offenses. Running away and other delinquency may be related to experiencing physical and sexual abuse at home. However, historically the juvenile justice system has tended to detain female runaways rather than taking their problems seriously. Programs to meet the unique needs of female delinquents are inadequate in most states, leaving them with few alternatives other than crime. Attention to their situation is long overdue and will make a major contribution to solving female delinquency. Footnotes