Runaway Girl Assignment

This assignment is related to the book Runaway Girl: Escaping Life on the Streets One Helping Hand at a Time by Carissa Phelps.

Purpose:

The purpose of this assignment is for students to gain an understanding of the etiology of female juvenile delinquency and evaluate the effectiveness of the juvenile justice system. Through analyzing the responses by individuals, agencies, the juvenile justice system, and other key stakeholders in the community, students will be able to articulate the positive and negative impact various types of responses can have on a young woman.

Skills

By completing this assignment, you will practice skills which are consistent with the course learning outcomes and psychology program outcomes that are relevant to working in the field.

  1. Examine the etiology of female juvenile delinquency and evaluate the effectiveness of the juvenile justice system.
  1. Demonstrate effective writing for different purposes.
  2. Engage in innovative and integrative thinking and problem-solving.

 

Knowledge

  1. Gain an understanding of systems issues related to juvenile female offenders.
  2. Explain the roles of sexism, racism, cultural factors, mental health issues, and social class inequality as it relates to society’s perception of women offenders and female involvement in crime.

 

Task/Instructions

Read the book Runaway Girl: Escaping Life on the Streets One Helping Hand at a Time by Carissa Phelps. For each chapter, you are going to identify the following:

 

  1. Identify one action (or inaction), words spoken, decision, or treatment by another person that had a negative effect on Carissa, led her to avoid something positive (such as going to school or attending a program), feel  negatively about herself, lose hope, or prevented her from accessing resources.

Or

Identify one action (or inaction), words spoken, decision, or treatment by another person that had a positive effect on Carissa, led her to avoid something negative, helped her feel positive aboutherself, gain hope, or access resources.

 

Once you have identified the impact of a positive or negative encounter, briefly describe the action taken (or not taken) and discuss how this might have led her to commit a specific crime.

Criteria for Success

When completing this assignment, please make sure you reference a specific crime which might have contributed to or prevented Carissa from committing a crime. Demonstrate an understanding of the relationship between the actions and responses of those around her and how she responded to them. Think critically about the factors, people, and systems that affected her. A sample response is provided in the assignment.

The grading rubric below provides the specific criteria for how each response will be graded. Make sure you proof-read or seek assistance from the academic success center, as one point will be deducted for each error in grammar, spelling, and punctuation. In keeping with the syllabus, the assignment is due prior to the start of the class period on the date indicated in the syllabus. A partial point reduction system is applied.

Runaway Girl Assignment

 

Name:

 

Chapter Identify one action (or inaction), words spoken, decision, or treatment by another person that had a negative effect on Carissa, led her to avoid something positive, feel negatively about herself, lose hope, or prevented her from accessing resources.

OR

Identify one action (or inaction), words spoken, decision, or treatment by another person that had a positive effect on Carissa, led her to avoid something negative, feel positive about herself, gain hope, or access resources.

 

Once you have identified an action, briefly discuss how this might have led her to commit a specific crime. (Each response is worth 8 points)
Sample Response One action that had a negative effect on Carissa was when she broke a glass and got cut. She looked to her mother for comfort and did not get any. Instead, her mother said they didn’t have money for stitches and told Carissa to go wash up.  She felt guilty and worthless, and felt like a burden. She blamed herself for not being a good girl and causing problems.

 

If Carissa believes this, she may become depressed, anxious, or experience a decrease in self-worth and self-medicate with drugs or alcohol. Underage drinking and possession of drugs can lead to criminal charges.
Chapter 1  
Chapter 2  
Chapter 3  
Chapter 4  
Chapter 5  
Chapter 6  
Chapter 7  
Chapter 8  
Chapter 9  
Chapter 10  
Chapter 11  
Chapter 12  
Chapter 13