Girl Scouts Beyond Bars
The Girl Scouts Beyond Bars (GSBB) Initiative was established in 1992 in partnership with the National Institute of Justice. The goals of GSBB are to lessen the impact of parental separation due to incarceration, to foster the personal and social development of girls and their mothers, and to provide girls with the opportunity to participate with their parents in the Girl Scout Leadership Experience.
Parents and their daughters take an active leadership role in the planning and implementation of Girl Scout program activities and also participate in facilitated discussions about family life, conflict resolution, and the prevention of violence and drug abuse. After release, parents and daughters can continue to participate in troop meetings in their communities, making Girl Scouting a consistent presence in their lives.
Girl Scouting in Detention Centers
Girl Scouts Beyond Bars led the way to Girl Scouting in Detention Centers (GSDC), a program established in the 1990s for girls who have been adjudicated, are wards of the court, or are court-referred delinquents. GSDC is the only gender-specific program in the United States to serve girls in detention.
GSBB and GSDC programs may be available even if a Girl Scout council name does not appear under the "ALSO SEE" list (at right). For a complete list of Girl Scout councils, please see the GSUSA council finder.
Did you know?
- From 1995 to 2005, the number of women in prison nationwide increased by 57%.*
- Approximately 75% of incarcerated women are mothers, and two-thirds have children under 18.*
- Girls under the age of 18 have become the fastest growing segment of the juvenile justice population, despite the overall drop in juvenile crime**
For questions about Girl Scouts Beyond Bars and Girl Scouting in Detention Centers, contact Christine Brongniart, Project Manager, GSBB & GSDC, at cbrongniart@girlscouts.org, or Aabha Adhiya, Project Coordinator, GSBB & GSDC at aadhiya@girlscouts.org.
*The National Resource Center on Children and Families of the Incarcerated at Family and Corrections Network 2009
**Child Welfare League of America. Facts and Figures, 2006
