A 1975 NATIONAL STUDY OF WOMEN'S CORRECTIONAL PROGRAMS, WHICH SURVEYED 16 STATE PRISONS, 46 COUNTY JAILS, AND 36 COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAMS TO DEVELOP A DEMOGRAPHIC PORTRAIT OF FEMALE INMATES, PROVIDED THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION (1) TWO-THIRDS OF FEMALE INMATES ARE UNDER 30 YEARS OLD; (2) THE MEDIAN AGE OF UNSENTENCED WOMEN AND THOSE CONVICTED OF MISDEMEANORS IS 24 YEARS; (3) THE MEDIAN AGE OF FELONS IS 27 YEARS; (4) 15 PERCENT OF FEMALE INMATES ARE BLACK; (5) 25 PERCENT HAVE NOT FINISHED HIGH SCHOOL; (6) 27 PERCENT WERE SINGLE AT THE TIME OF INCARCERATION, AND ONLY 10 PERCENT OF THOSE MARRIED HAVE BEEN LIVING WITH THEIR SPOUSES IMMEDIATELY PRIOR TO INCARCERATION; (7) 73 PERCENT HAD CHILDREN, WITH 66 PERCENT HAVING DEPENDENT CHILDREN AT HOME PRIOR TO INCARCERATION. STUDIES HAVE SHOWN THAT DESPITE INCREASES IN THE ARREST RATE OF WOMEN, FEMALES STILL COMMIT PROPORTIONATELY FEWER CRIMES THAN MEN, AND FEWER WOMEN ARE REPRESENTED IN ALL STAGES OF THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE PROCESS. THEORIES AS TO WHY FEMALES COMPOSE A SMALL PERCENTAGE OF THE OFFENDER POPULATION ARE BRIEFLY STATED. IN 1975, LARCENY CONSTITUTED 24 PERCENT OF ALL FEMALE ARRESTS, FOLLOWED IN FREQUENCY BY ARRESTS FOR DISORDERLY CONDUCT AND RUNNING AWAY. DESPITE THE RELATIVELY LOW FEMALE INMATE NUMBERS, JAIL AND PRISON FACILITIES ARE INADEQUATE, AND FEMALE REHABILITATION PROGRAMS ARE LESS COMPREHENSIVE THAN MALE PROGRAMS. RESULTS ARE REPORTED FROM A INSTITUTIONAL SURVEY ON FEMALE INMATE PROGRAMS WHICH GIVE ATTENTION TO MATERNAL CONCERNS. THE FOLLOWING TYPES OF PROGRAMS FOR FEMALE OFFENDERS IN NEW YORK STATE ARE BRIEFLY DESCRIBED: (1) A PRISON 'FAMILY REUNION' PROGRAM FOR WOMEN NOT ELIGIBLE FOR FURLOUGH, (2) A PRISON PROGRAM FOR DEVELOPING HOMEMAKING SKILLS AND PROVIDING OTHER JOB TRAINING SERVICES, (3) AN INNER CITY, COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAM TO HELP WOMEN DEVELOP CLERICAL SKILLS, AND (4) A COMMUNITY-BASED PROGRAM WHICH PROVIDES COUNSELING AND JOB TRAINING. OVERALL, THE NEW YORK REHABILITATION PROGRAMS FOR WOMEN OFFENDERS SERVE ABOUT 25 OUT OF EVERY 1,000 OFFENDERS. (RCB)