Drawing on recent empirical research, this article discusses youth justice professionals’ beliefs about the causes of young women’s offending, and examines whether ‘moral panics’ proclaiming that we are witnessing an explosion in female youth crime and disorder are reflected in contemporary youth justice discourse. I found disturbing evidence that girls continue to be drawn into the youth justice system for welfare reasons — as a result of the criminalization of domestic disputes or because of concerns about their sexual vulnerability. The widespread cultural belief that girls are getting worse received some support amongst youth justice practitioners and managers, although many professionals expressed confusion as to whether female youthful behaviour has deteriorated or whether girls are subject to more intensive and formalized methods of governance than hitherto. The implications of these findings for the criminalization of girls are discussed.
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