Individual questionnaires were administered to 802 men and women offenders in an urban county jail. The following questions were asked: What are offender perceptions of race relations between inmates in jail? What is the estimated prevalence of gangs in jail, and is there pressure to join a gang? Is gender or race the primary determination of an individual's response to violence in the jail environment? The data show that perceptions of race relations, gang affiliation, pressure to join gangs, and aggressive/violent responses to inmate provocations significantly differed by gender more often than by race/ethnicity. Women deal with offender confrontations in a less violent manner, experience a less racialized environment, and have less gang ties. Although differences for men and women emerged on all responses, less variance was found with race and ethnic groups on gang-affiliation questions, and no differences were found on questions related to purported violent responses toward other offenders. Other factors -- such as age, prior record, type of offense committed, and whether the offender had previously been in jail or prison -- were considered as comparison variables. None of these variables had a strong effect. 5 tables and 38 references