Locking Them Up to Keep Them "Safe":
Criminalized Girls in British Columbia

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This report provides a unique glimpse of young women’s experiences of criminalization, presented in their own words. Fourgirls (aged 15-19) with first-hand experiences of being arrested, appearing in court, andspending time in prison share their storiesthrough conversations with the author, andtheir words serve as a foundation for outliningthe many injustices experienced bygirls whose actions are criminalized by the state.

The report also offers an overview ofthe history of girls’ imprisonment in Canada.Through reflection on this history, along with the girls’ experiences with the police, the courts, and the prison system, the author concludes that nothing less than abolishment of the practice of imprisoning girls will allow young women to escape the many human and equality-rights abuses they are currently subject to. Abolishment of girls’ imprisonment represents an important step towards achieving the broader social justice, dignity, and equality that girls are entitled to under Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms. However, substantial changes in social attitudes and structural inequalities are also urgently needed: instead of investing significant economic resources into forcible means of protection or behaviour change, we need to begin to directly address the circumstances that compromise girls’ safety (such as substance abuse and sexual exploitation) and invest in voluntary programs and supports that facilitate girls’ development.

“Highly accessible, and well-stocked with revealing quotes from the girls in her study, Dean’s report represents both careful scholarship and activist advocacy of justice for girls. The report is highly informative, enlightening, unexpectedly enjoyable to read and makes a very strong case for a reconsideration of prison as the most appropriate place for girls who have been sexually and physically abused, the majority of whom have not hurt anyone. People who work toward community justice, people who are employed by the criminal justice system, and those who just like a good read, will all appreciate what Amber Dean has written. In my view, it is one of the best books ever published about girls in prison, and what they mean to our society.”

- Karlene Faith, Activist, Author, Professor Emeritus, Simon Fraser University

“If there is one thing that is striking for me about this report, it is how much historical themes remain current problems, even if they are re-invented in new forms. It is tragic to think that we have not learned from the past. The girls’ interviews are especially powerful as personal accounts of the inability of the system to deal with systemic inequality, or even LISTEN to their needs effectively.”

- Joan I. Sangster, Director, Frost Centre for Canadian Studies & Native Studies, Traill College, Trent University

“The report penetrates into the actual experiences of what girls live through as they encounter police, court and correctional officials. It is replete with nuanced, rich stories of how the four young guides try to make sense of what they do and what happens to them as they struggle to make friends, survive, get ahead, have fun, deal with the justice system, and keep in touch with their families and those they love.”

- Marge Reitsma-Street, Professor, Studies in Policy & Practice, University of Victoria

By honouring and privileging the voices of those with the lived experience and combining their narrative with
a crisp analytical framework, Amber Dean and Justice for Girls provide us with a vital and fundamental window
into youth justice issues and realities for young women and girls in Canada.”

- Kim Pate, Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies