The treatment of adolescent girls by the juvenile justice system is often deemed paternalistic. Indeed, the official data reveal that adolescent girls are primarily brought to justice “for their own good” instead of for the protection of the citizens. Such an interpretation, however, neglects the possibility that the nature of girls’ deviant behavior could at least partially explain the treatment they receive. The analysis of the self-reported deviant activities of a sample of adolescent males and females brought to justice indicates that the nature of the adolescent girls’ treatment is modulated by two elements: the paternalistic attitudes of agents of the juvenile justice system and the behavioral profile of the adolescent girls.