,i #aacth ,,congress #ast ,session ,h4 ,r4 #ahcc ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of ,,representatives ,may #f1 #bjac ,ms4 ,de,lauro 7for herself1 ,ms4 ,schakowsky1 ,mr4 ,rangel1 ,ms4 ,moore1 ,ms4 ,jackson ,lee1 ,ms4 ,wilson of ,florida1 ,mr4 ,crdenas1 ,ms4 ,lee of ,california1 ,mr4 ,ellison1 and ,mr4 ,scott of ,virginia7 introduced the following bill2 which was referred to the ,committee on ,education and the ,workforce ,a ,,bill ,to amend the ,incentive ,grants for ,local ,delinquency ,prevention ,programs under the ,juvenile ,justice and ,delinquency ,prevention ,act of #aigd to add gender-responsive services to the list of authorized grant purposes4 #a4 ,short title2 ,findings 7a7 ,short title ,this ,act may be cited as the ,improving the ,juvenile ,justice ,system for ,girls ,act of #bjac4 7b7 ,findings ,the ,congress finds as follows3 7#a7 ,the proportion of girls entering the justice system has increased steadily over the past several decades1 rising from #bj percent in #aihj to #cj percent in #bjji4 ,most of these girls1 up to #gc percent1 have histories of physical and sexual violence1 and their entry into the criminal and juvenile justice system is linked to their sexual and physical victimization4 7#b7 ,girls' pathways into juvenile justice involvement are distinct from boys' pathways4 ,girls account for a much larger proportion of nonviolent status offenders than delinquency offenders 7#dj percent compared to #ad percent1 respectively74 7#c7 ,a study by the ,oregon ,social ,learning ,center found the average reported age of first sexual encounter for girls in juvenile justice is #f4ge4 7#d7 ,the trauma of untreated physical and sexual abuse results in lifetime consequences for girls4 ,these consequences include a higher risk for a number of negative social and health outcomes such as higher mortality rates1 a variety of psychiatric problems1 dysfunctional and violent relationships1 poor educational achievement1 less stable work histories1 increased risk for sexually transmitted diseases and early pregnancy1 substance abuse or addiction1 and increased reliance on social services as compared to non-delinquent girls4 7#e7 ,a growing body of evidence suggests that girls who enter the juvenile justice system have equal if not higher rates of mental health issues than boys who enter the system4 7#f7 ,current research and data have shown that gender-responsive1 strength-based programming providing trauma-informed care and trauma-specific services is the most effective means of preventing juvenile offenses and reducing recidivism4 #b4 ,incentive grants for local delinquency prevention programs ,the second title ,v of the ,juvenile ,justice and ,delinquency ,prevention ,act of #aigd 7relating to ,incentive ,grants for ,local ,delinquency ,prevention ,programs1 as added by ,public ,law #ajb-ehf and amended by ,public ,law #ajg-bgc7 is amended-- 7#a7 by amending section #ejb 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #egha7 to read as follows3 #ejb4 ,definitions ,in this title3 7#a7 ,state advisory group ,the term ,state advisory group means the advisory group appointed by the chief executive officer of a ,state under a plan described in section #bbc7;a74 7#b7 ,gender-responsive services ,the term gender-responsive services means promising practices or evidence-based services that-- 7,a7 comprehensively address the needs of girls in the juvenile justice system through the development or improvement of programs1 treatment1 counseling1 and resources1 and the selection and training of staff1 in a manner that reflects an understanding of-- 7i7 the unique pathways of girls into the juvenile justice system2 7ii7 the need for interventions that address common experiences of girls in the juvenile justice system1 including histories of abuse1 violence1 broken family relationships1 and substance abuse2 and 7iii7 the social and cultural factors affecting girls in the juvenile justice system and girls who are at risk of entering the juvenile justice system2 and 7,b7 includes trauma-specific services4 7#c7 ,trauma-specific services ,the term trauma-specific services means services that-- 7,a7 address the neurological1 biological1 psychological1 and social effects of trauma on the victims of trauma2 7,b7 provide resources on trauma exposure1 the impact or trauma1 and trauma treatment to such victims2 7,c7 engage in efforts to strengthen the resilience and protective factors of such victims2 7,d7 include trauma-informed therapeutic interventions that are based on an understanding of the vulnerabilities or triggers of victims of trauma1 and are designed to provide support to1 and avoid re-traumatization of1 such victims2 and 7,e7 emphasize continuity of care and collaboration among the providers of services to such victims4 2 7#b7 in section #ejd 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #eghc7-- 7,a7 in subsection 7a7-- 7i7 by striking and after the semicolon in paragraph 7#g72 7ii7 by redesignating paragraph 7#h7 as paragraph 7#i72 and 7iii7 by inserting after paragraph 7#g7 the following3 7#h7 gender-responsive services2 and 2 and 7,b7 in subsection 7b7-- 7i7 in paragraph 7#b71 by inserting 1 including a description of how the funds made available under this section will increase the effectiveness of such plan and the activities to be carried out under such plan before the semicolon2 and 7ii7 in paragraph 7#c71 by inserting 1 including a description of how the funds made available under this section will increase the effectiveness of such plan and the activities to be carried out under such plan before the semicolon2 and 7#c7 in section #eje 7#db ,u4,s4,c4 #eghd71 by striking for fiscal years #bjjd1 #bjje1 #bjjf1 #bjjg1 and #bjjh and inserting for each of the fiscal years #bjad through #bjai4