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Objective. Juvenile arson offenders have received increasing attention due to the high human and financial cost of arson in the USA. This study examines the similarities and differences between male and female juvenile arson offenders regarding family crisis, school issues, mental health, family characteristics, crime descriptions, and past delinquency. Method. The sample consists of 217 male and 114 female juveniles charged with an arson-related charge from a large southern state over a 5-year period from 2000 to 2005. Results. Female juvenile arsonists more often reported a significant crisis within their family in the past year when compared to male juvenile arsonists. Most of the juvenile arson offenders attended school regularly but girls had greater issues with tardiness or truancy than boys. Girl arsonists more often reported a history of childhood abuse, higher scores on a suicide ideation scale and were more likely to set fire at school. Boy arsonists were more likely to have greater mental health problems, report gang involvement, a history of prior delinquency and prior arson, and were found to set fires at their residence when compared to girl arsonists. Instrumental versus expressive reasons for the arson behaviour are discussed. Conclusion. These findings suggest strongly that boy and girls arson offenders are dissimilar enough to require unique assessment and treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose. This study is an examination of a sample of 114 female juveniles charged with arson in a large juvenile justice system. The purpose of this study is to contribute to the limited descriptive literature about female juvenile arsonists. Methods. Female juvenile arsonists who had been charged with an arson were explored regarding their experiences of family disorganization, abuse and neglect, school issues, substance abuse, mental health, and crime characteristics. Group and solo arson offending was explored in depth. Subjects were from a large US southern state and included all the girls charged with arson over a 5-year period from 2001 to 2005. Results. The female juvenile arsonists were often from profoundly unstable homes, experienced difficulty with school attendance and behaviour, had little or no contact with at least one parent, and were in a crisis at the time of the arson offence. Arson crimes committed by juvenile female offenders were most often at school and were a result of an accidental or impulsive act. Solo female juvenile arsonists had more instability in their homes, poorer school enrollment, increased experiences of limited contact with a parent, often felt upset, angry, and expressed suicidal thoughts when compared to group female juvenile arson offenders. Conclusions. Female juveniles who commit arson alone present very different risk factors and immediate problems than those who commit arson in a group; they likely need very different treatment. Juvenile arson crimes should be seen as warning signal given out by youth in distress. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]