Based on interviews with nearly 1,000 female inmates and prison officials, the author exposes the inequitable treatment of women in prison. She notes approximately 108,000 female inmates are in prisons and jails throughout the United States. Approximately 49,000 are in city and county jails awaiting trial, serving misdemeanor sentences of 1 year or less, or waiting to be transferred to State prisons where they will serve longer sentences for felony convictions. About 59,000 women are housed in Federal and State prisons. The author points out that the criminal justice system is inclined more than ever to sentence women to prison and keep them there for longer periods of time. She discusses the cost-effectiveness of imprisonment for female inmates and sharply criticizes the treatment of women in the prison setting. An appendix contains inmate rules and regulations at the Cook County Jail in Chicago. References and photographs