The dependent variables used in the study are varieties of criminal involvement reported by the respondents. The independent variables were seven operationalized theories including social control, liberation/gender role socialization, self-esteem, deprivation, strain, urbanism, and maturation. The findings reveal no significant differences between black and white respondents in the overall prevalence of involvement in crime; when drug use, which is higher among whites, is omitted, the black prevalence rate for crime is higher than among whites. A logistic regression analysis, followed by an OLS regression procedure, were used to test the relative effectiveness of traditional criminological theories in accounting for the involvement of black and white young women in crime. The analyses indicate that, for white women, significant effects are found in the social-psychological theory groups, while explanations for black female criminal involvement were found among structure indicators. 4 tables, 16 references, and 1 appendix