The author constructs a conceptual framework for understanding the progression from victim to survivor to offender in the subjects' life histories. This framework shows that the best available options for escape from physical and sexual violence are often survival strategies that are criminal: for example, running away from home, use of drugs, and the illegal street work required to survive as a runaway. The women's own narratives are used to illustrate their views of themselves as survivors, not as victims, and their commitments to important relationships in their lives that explain their entry into and commitments to criminal activities. Women's responses to victimization and women's relational identities are viewed as factors that both motivate and restrain women's criminal activities. The concept of immersion in street crime is offered as a more accurate term than criminal career in describing women's criminal histories. 33 references