Research suggests that female offenders have special needs not typically addressed by programs designed for male offenders. The correctional system has historically been male-dominated. However, due to the increase in female offenders, these special needs have become amplified. In reviewing past studies it seems apparent that what is lacking is both a method to assess the needs of women offenders and an empirical assessment tool to conduct assessments. This study attempted to fill this void by building on past research efforts to determine the critical special needs issues of female offenders. To measure these specific needs, the Female Offender Critical Intervention Inventory (FOCI) was developed. The purpose of this study was to construct and empirically test a needs assessment instrument, the FOCI. The effective assessment of needs is one of the key aspects of community corrections. The FOCI was administered to four groups of female felony offenders in four units of a prison system in the southwestern United States: (1) 52 female offenders in a state jail; (2) 52 adult female offenders in a substance abuse felony facility; (3) 52 adult female offenders in a private therapeutic community; and (4) 32 female offenders in a therapeutic community. Major conclusions include: (1) the FOCI-R appears to be a reliable and valid instrument that can be used for assessing the critical needs of female offenders; (2) the critical needs of female offenders seem to group into three main areas of curriculum concern; and (3) the FOCI-R seems to possess a sufficient degree of sensitivity to affect situations where critical special needs of female offenders are not being met in a substance abuse treatment program. References