AN ANALYSIS OF DEMOGRAPHIC AND OFFENSE DATA FOR THE 1972 MALE AND FEMALE MAXIMUM SECURITY POPULATION INDICATES THAT A GREATER PROPORTION OF BLACKS THAN WHITES ARE INVOLVED IN PERSONAL (VIOLENT) OFFENSES, WITH BLACK MALES AND MORE INVOLVED THAN THEIR FEMALE COUNTERPARTS. WHITE OFFENDERS ACCOUNT FOR A HIGHER PROPORTION OF PROPERTY CRIMES THAN DO BLACKS, WITH THE GREATEST VARIANCE OCCURING BETWEEN BLACK AND WHITE FEMALES. FEMALE OFFENDERS ACCOUNT FOR A HIGHER PROPORTION OF SERIOUS PROPERTY OFFENSES THAN DO MALES. IN THE FEMALE POPULATION THERE IS A SIGNIFICANT INVERSE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INMATE RACIAL DISTRIBUTION AND STATEWIDE RACIAL DISTRIBUTION; ALTHOUGH THIS RELATIONSHIP ALSO HOLDS IN THE MALE INMATE SAMPLE, IT IS NOT AS PRONOUNCED. ALL THE FEMALE PRISONERS FELL INTO THE THREE LOWEST OCCUPATIONAL CATEGORIES OF THE HOLLINGSHEAD SEVEN-CATEGORY SCALE; BLACK FEMALE INMATES WERE MORE LIKELY TO FALL WITHIN THE TWO LOWEST CATEGORIES (I.E. UNEMPLOYED AND MARGINALLY EMPLOYED), WHILE BOTH WHITE AND BLACK MALE OFFENDERS WERE REPRESENTED IN ALL SEVEN OCCUPATIONAL CATEGORIES. BOTH SAMPLES INDICATED LOW EDUCATIONAL ACHIEVEMENT, WITH BLACK FEMALES EVIDENCING THE LOWEST ACHIEVEMENT. THE SOCIAL PROFILE PICTURES NORTH CAROLINA'S FEMALE AND SERIOUS MALE OFFENDERS AS BLACK, POORLY EDUCATED, AND ONLY MARGINALLY EMPLOYABLE. ALTHOUGH OVER 100,000 CRIME INDEX (SERIOUS) CRIMES OCCURED DURING THE PERIOD UNDER STUDY -- A FIGURE NEARLY TEN TIMES THE TOTAL INCARCERATED POPULATION -- MOST OF THE INCARCERATED OFFENDERS WERE CONVICTED ON NONINDEX CRIMES. IT IS SUGGESTED THAT THE OVERREPRESENTATION OF BLACK WOMEN, PARTICULARLY THOSE FROM IMPOVERISHED BACKGROUNDS, MAY BE THE RESULT OF DISCRIMINATION BY THE TYPICALLY WHITE MALE POLICE OFFICER, PROSECUTOR, AND JUDGE. ONCE IMPRISONED THESE WOMEN ARE SUBJECTED TO LONG HOURS UNDER SORDID WORKING CONDITIONS WHICH MAY ADD TO THE PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEMS OF THE BLACK FEMALE OFFENDER, MAKING REHABILITATION DIFFICULT OR IMPOSSIBLE. MORE RESEARCH IS NEEDED TO DETERMINE IF BLACK FEMALE OFFENDERS SUFFER SIMILAR DISCRIMINATION ELSEWHERE IN THE UNITED STATES. EXTENSIVE TABULAR DATA ARE PROVIDED. (JAP)