TALLAHASSEE, FL - The number of girls entering Florida's juvenile justice system is growing, and they are entering programs designed for boys that fail to meet their unique needs, according to a study released Tuesday.

Girls now represent about one in every five youths committed to Florida's juvenile justice system and their admissions have increased by 10 percent in the past five years compared with a 12 percent decrease for boys, according to study by the National Council on Crime and Delinquency based in Oakland, Calif.

The study also found girls are admitted for relatively minor offenses more often than boys, are held longer and their placement in residential programs sometimes is inconsistent with their offense history.

"What is often said is girls' programs are often boys' programs painted pink," said council president Barry Krisberg. "These programs by and large don't work. There needs to be a gender-responsive focus."

Department of Juvenile Justice spokeswoman Tara Collins declined immediate comment because the agency just received the report and officials had not yet read it.

The report includes recommendations designed to reverse the admissions growth and to improve the treatment of girls. Some are: more placements in home or community programs rather than long-term residential detention and programs designed specifically for girls, including mental and physical health care and drug treatment.

Other key findings are that girls enter the system at an early age -- 40 percent before 13 -- and a majority have been sexually abused or neglected, have mental problems, and experienced family conflict and inadequate parental control. Unlike boys, they are seldom influenced to commit crimes by their peers or gangs.

About 1,000 girls are in long-term residential programs on a daily basis, a higher incarceration rate than other large states, researchers said. That number does not include juveniles in temporary detention awaiting court appearances or placement.

Researchers conducted confidential interviews with 244 girls in 13 Juvenile Justice residential programs and 75 girls in six nonresidential programs. The girls ranged in age from 12 to 19.