The results of this study found that the health status of imprisoned women before and during their incarceration could be jointly predicted based on the quality of health care received before incarceration and the amount of strain inmates had experienced during their lives. Explanations for why prior health care predicts inmates’ health status is that women do not stay in prison very long and good health care received outside of prison can lead to healthy lifestyle choices that increase a woman’s overall health status. Results of women’s perceptions of their health status and the health care they had received, prior to and during their imprisonment revealed inmates expressed dissatisfaction with the quality of health care received in prison, as well as the manner in which it was administered. In a review of the literature, it is apparent that imprisonment has the potential to either positively or negatively affect women’s health and their health care. This study investigated this issue from the perspective of female inmates by using quantitative and qualitative data collected at the Topeka Correctional Facility (TCF) in Topeka, KS, during the summers of 2001, 2002, and 2003. The study explored whether imprisonment improved or compromised women’s health and the extent to which imprisonment either increased or diminished the inmates’ access to adequate health care. Tables, references, and appendixes