There are few risk assessment instruments that address the unique risk factors for female juvenile offenders. Typically, female risk factors are embedded within male risk factors. Thus, the true differences between male and female juveniles may not be explored. In this study, a generic risk assessment instrument was constructed from a pooled sample and used to identify the level of risk posed by females in comparison with males. Though the constructed instrument worked quite efficiently for males, the instrument provided only a marginal improvement over chance prediction of recidivism for youthful female probationers. Lower rates of predictive validity among the female subpopulation supports call for the development of gendered risk assessment instruments.

Prisons developed from the philosophy of punishing the offender. Classical criminology provided the theoretical foundation for the creation of institutions for the punishment of those who have been adjudicated criminal. Initially, the goal of prison systems was to correct deviant behavior and thus return offenders to society. The Auburn System and the Pennsylvania System were the first prison systems and each sought to correct behavior through repentance and training. Retribution, incarceration, deterrence, and rehabilitation have been the reasons for incarcerating offenders in prisons in the United States. Professionalization of corrections in the 1960s changed the way prisons operated. No longer were prison closed institutions; they became open institutions that encouraged professionalism in prison management, administration, and correctional staff. Even so, prisons today continue to reflect many of the goals of early prisons.

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Rational choice theory purports that a person will commit crime after determining if the pain or punishment is worth the pleasure or reward of the act. This theory comes from the Classical and Neoclassical Schools. The policies that are based on this theory involve increasing the punishment for crimes in the hope that the pain outweighs the gain and therefore preventing future crime. These increased punishments are intended to enhance the impact of both specific deterrence and general deterrence. The concepts of rational choice theory have been used in the development of both lifestyle theory and routine activities theory.

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