The success of programs designed for female offenders, directed toward their return to the community, must be based on an affirmative link between the institution and the community. The STEP program achieves this goal by maintaining collaborative links to multiple support systems within New York City and the surrounding community. STEP as a multimodal approach to treatment of female offenders has the greatest potential for the reduction of recidivism because the various components of STEP attempt to address all of the areas noted above. STEP’s attention to critical areas of need for minority women, especially African-Americans, along with its emphasis on empowerment, self-reliance, and positive change holds promise of being a particularly effective mechanism for building or rebuilding stable, productive, and law-abiding lives among African-American women who have been incarcerated. In 1991, in efforts to reduce recidivism and thereby reduce operating costs, the STEP program was developed and implemented. This chapter focuses on New York City’s STEP program, which provides holistic treatment to female offenders who have multiple needs. The chapter begins with an overview of the factors typically leading to the incarceration of African-American women and an overview of the special needs of the African-American adult female offender. Exhibits and references