The survey obtained data from 5,247 persons in a national sample of 421 jails during 1978. A self-weighted sample was collected to obtain a sufficiently large number of females (1,500). Females entered jails with lower annual incomes than males and with less likelihood of holding full-time jobs. Like males, many were unemployed because of physical disabilities, but a greater number cited family responsibilities as their primary reason for not working. Effective vocational programs for women in jail must take these family responsibilities into in jail must take these family responsibilities into account. Females entered jail with a greater number of medical problems than males, but their medical care equaled and sometimes surpassed that of male inmates. Women were less involved with alcohol than males, and their overall use of drugs was similar to that of men. A notable exception was the surprisingly high use of heroin among females compared to males. Drug programs are particularly needed for female inmates. Overall, the social and physical factors associated with the female role produce unique needs in female jail inmates that require special programs. 4 tables and 22 references.