The number of girls coming into contact with the juvenile justice system has grown exponentially during the past decade. Many of these delinquent girls have histories of abuse and mental health disorders. Moreover, these delinquent girls are more likely than boys to be diagnosed with co-occurring mental health disorders, particularly co-occurring substance abuse disorders. As such, dealing effectively with these girls in a juvenile justice setting is complex and multi-faceted given the histories of child abuse many of these girls have suffered. The juvenile justice challenges are enumerated and include the fact that the juvenile justice system fails to offer gender-specific services and continues to operate a system designed to deal with male offenders. Several recommendations are provided for how the juvenile justice system can work toward effectively identifying and responding to the mental health needs of delinquent girls. Recommendations include the need for more research on the nature and prevalence of mental health disorders among juvenile justice-involved girls, the need for proper training of juvenile justice and mental health treatment staff on the gender-specific nature of mental health disorders, and the need for programs designed specifically for delinquent girls. Table, references