The last three decades of the 20th century saw a monumental increase in the incarceration of U.S. citizens, especially women. This period has been labeled “equality with a vengeance,” where women have had “the book thrown at them” for demanding equality in the courts, at school and work, and in the home. While the incarceration rate for women convicted of violent crime has fallen, the overall incarceration rate for women has skyrocketed. This article examines the ways in which the numbers of women in prison increased in the last three decades of the 20th century and looks at how this increase has specifically impacted certain groups of women. The data show that there is a differential impact by race as to which groups of women end up in prison. Overall, Black women are 7 times more likely to be incarcerated than White women, and in 15 States, Black women are incarcerated at rates 10 to 35 times greater than White women. In addition, women prisoners are typically from the most oppressed and vulnerable populations. They are young (mid 30s), poor, with limited education, mothers of young children, and frequently homeless. They also have serious, long-term substance abuse problems, are in poor health, and are the victims of childhood abuse and continued abuse in adult life. It was also found that when women are incarcerated for violent offenses, the offenses tend to be of a less serious nature than those of men. Thus race, gender, and abuse all play important roles in the incarceration of women in the beginning of the 21st century. Notes, references