WITHOUT PRESENTING DETAILS OF THE RESEARCH METHODOLOGY, THE ARTICLE GIVES EXTRACTS FROM A STUDY OF 200 INCARCERATED WOMEN PUBLISHED BY THE RESEARCH CENTER FOR CRIMINAL POLICY. NUMEROUS STATISTICAL CHARTS DEAL WITH THE FOLLOWING SOCIOLOGICAL CORRELATIONS. FIRST, THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE PRISONERS' AGE AND THEIR LEVEL OF EDUCATION, PROFESSION, MARTIAL STATUS, NUMBER OF CHILDREN, TYPE OF SENTENCE, CRIMINAL AND JUDICIAL HISTORY, AND TYPES OF OFFENSE IS EXAMINED. SECOND, THE INMATES ARE DIVIDED INTO FOUR GROUPS ACCORDING TO THEIR EDUCATIONAL BACKGROUND; EACH GROUP IS ANLAYZED IN TERMS OF NATIONALITY, PROFESSIONAL CAREER, OFFENSE, TYPE OF COURT, AND SENTENCE. THIRD, OVER 40 PERCENT OF THE WOMEN HAD BEEN CAUGHT IN THE ACT OF COMMITTING A CRIME; THIS GROUP OF PRISONERS IS STUDIED IN TERMS OF AGE, NATIONALITY, COMMAND OF FRENCH, LEVEL OF EDUCATION, SENTENCING COURT, DURATION AND NATURE OF SENTENCE, LENGTH OF DETENTION AWAITING TRIAL, AND TYPE OF OFFENSE. FOURTH, NEARLY 10 PERCENT OF THE WOMEN HAD BEEN SENTENCED BY DEFAULT OR REPEATED DEFAULT WITHOUT EVER APPEARING IN COURT; THIS GROUP IS ANALYZED WITH RESPECT TO NATIONALITY, AGE, EDUCATION BACKGROUND, PROFESSION, PLACE OF RESIDENCE, MARITAL STATUS, PLACE OF TRIAL, LENGTH OF SENTENCE, AND TYPE OF OFFENSE. FIFTH, THE CORRELATION BETWEEN THE TYPE OF OFFENSE AND THE LENGTH OF THE SENTENCE IS TABULATED FOR THE ENTIRE PRISON POPULATION. SIXTH, THE RELATION BETWEEN THE LENGTH OF PRISONERS' TERMS AND THEIR JUDICIAL AND CRIMINAL HISTORY IS PRESENTED. ALTHOUGH NUMEROUS ANALYTICAL COMMENTS EMPHASIZE INDIVIDUAL STATISTICAL FINDINGS, NO OVERALL CONCLUSIONS ARE DRAWN. SEVERAL ANNOTATIONS FURNISH ADDITIONAL STATISTICS. THE STUDY IS PUBLISHED IN ITS ENTIRETY IN 'ARCHIVES DE POLITIQUE CRIMINELLE,' 3. --IN FRENCH. (SAJ)