Bringing Gender-Responsive Principles into Practice

Girls and women who are at risk for justice system involvement or who are justice system involved have different pathways to involvement and different risk factors, so gender-responsive programs have been targeting services to girls and women who are at risk for entering the typically male-dominated system. In this brief, MDRC examines results from their evaluation of the PACE Center for Girls program in Florida to explain how gender-responsive principles work in practice. Components of gender-responsive programs, such as a strengths-based approach, are discussed, and experiences of girls in the program are shared.