Support was found for viewing loneliness in this population as stemming, at least in part, from: (1) characteristics of the women themselves (co-occurring conditions); (2) child characteristics (number of minors in the home); (3) partner relations (degree of domestic violence experienced in their relations with partners); and (4) informal and formal social supports. It is suggested that work with substance abusing mothers involved with the criminal justice system should address multiple ecological levels, including characteristics of the mother and her children, partner relations, and informal and formal social support. Every year more of the women who become involved with the criminal justice system do so because they abuse substances and are involved in a substance use related crime. This is particularly important to society because these women are often mothers who have primary responsibility for care giving of their children. Previous research has found maternal loneliness and social isolation to be associated with child maltreatment and substance abuse. The primary research question addressed in this study was “What predicts loneliness for substance abusing, court-involved mothers?” The study sample consisted of 94 urban mothers with a history of substance abuse and criminal justice involvement. Tables, references