Girls are the fastest growing juvenile justice population the United States. Some corrections agencies have responded by developing gender-specific programming for female juvenile offenders, which have been assisted by the 1992 reauthorization of the Juvenile and Delinquency Prevention Act that made funding available for the development and implementation of programs designed to address the specific needs of girls. This study is one of the first attempts to examine the experiences of girls in gender-specific juvenile placements. Data were drawn from in-depth qualitative interviews with 30 girls aged 14 to 19 years under the supervision of or in the custody of Utah’s Division of Youth Corrections (DYC). Interviews focused on juvenile placement history, daily schedules at placement, and personal perceptions of placement. Qualitative analysis of the interviews indicated diverse experiences of the gender-specific juvenile programming as well as the typical programming. One of the emerging themes was the sense of community fostered in gender-specific programming, allowing offenders to deal with the underlying issues related to their offending behavior. The next step for researchers is to identify the programs or programmatic features that have the greatest effect on the reduction of criminal recidivism among young female offenders. References