Governing girls: rehabilitation in the age of r`isk

The dissertation focuses on female youth violence in the contemporary landscape of control. In conjunction with the current punitive modalities and mentalities that govern the youth justice system in Canada, the construction of risk profiles on young offenders signals the emergence of actuarial technologies in correctional-based programs. Stemming from the need to ground risk theories in empirical research, the dissertation questions the impact of risk rationality on young female offenders. To what extent is the youth justice system governed by risk rationalities? What does treatment and ‘rehabilitation’ mean in the age of risk? How are systems of representations such as gender, sexuality and race influenced by risk logics? How do girls understand their ‘risk factors’ as presented by expert knowledges?