Everything the Delores Barr Weaver Policy Center does is grounded in research, and our research is grounded in the voices and experiences of girls.
Our approach is “girl-centered inquiry” with the goal to develop better policies, programs, and services that are directly linked to girls’ experiences. Powerful insight into what is needed to better serve girls can be gained from listening to them. In addition to girls’ experiences, we must also be able to assess the challenges that staff face in working with girls, and the policies and practices that contribute to disparate or harmful treatment.
We are committed to contributing cutting-edge research grounded in the lived experiences of girls and their caregivers. We monitor, evaluate, and publish the findings of both the short-term and long-term impact of policies and practices at the individual, community, state, and system levels. We build practice-based evidence through collection of quantitative and qualitative data and document our model in practice with particular attention to the external factors that impact girls’ trajectories.
Research informs our training curricula for various audiences, influences our programs and informs our advocacy platform. The Center’s leadership is nationally recognized for groundbreaking studies of girls in juvenile justice and their pathways into the system.
Assessing the Impact of Court Costs and Fees on Juveniles and Families
Breaking New Ground on the First Coast: Examining Girls’ Pathways into the Juvenile Justice System
In Harm’s Way: Child Abuse, Child Rape and Sex Trafficking
Changing Conversations about Sexual Assault
Incorporating the Voice of Parents and Guardians to Improve Services for Girls and Families
2018: Mental Health (in process)
2017: Justice For Girls Briefing Report
2016: See the Change: Girls’ Juvenile Justice Trends on the First Coast
2013: A Wake-Up Call: Trends in Girls’ Involvement in the Justice System
Girl Matters: Continuity of Care Model
Girl Matters: It’s Elementary
Girls are more likely to be committed to lock-up programs for less serious offenses than boys.
Girls who are locked up from the First Coast community have experienced loss.
Half of girls who are locked up have histories of sexual or physical abuse.
Almost three in four girls who are locked up have diagnosed mental health problems related to the impact of trauma and violence.