Chapter 1 presents the historical development of the U.S. criminal justice system and how it was systematically designed to imprison African Americans. This is followed by a chapter that presents various theories of why women commit crime. Chapter 3 depicts existing African American female statistical data from various governmental sources. These data show the disparity in arrest patterns of African American women compared to their white counterparts. In addition, the author presents her 1992 survey data results from State and Federal prisons that house females; this survey amplifies the apparent discrepancies in the currently available data. Chapter 4 focuses on crimes that African American women commit and reviews the data on death row inmates, incorporating the current arguments regarding racial bias in legislation. Supported by 1992 survey data, Chapter 5 addresses the children of African American female prisoners and the effect that prison has on their lives, and Chapter 6 profiles the deplorable health conditions of African American women inmates. Remaining chapters discuss alternatives to incarceration, the Violent Crime Control Law Enforcement Act of 1994, the treatment of incarcerated women of color in foreign and Third World countries, and the U.S. courts and their impact on African American offenders. The concluding chapter presents eight recommendations. 34 figures, 15 tables, a 168-item bibliography, and a subject index