THE WOMEN, INMATES FROM FEDERAL AND STATE PRISONS, WERE DIVIDED INTO A PRIMARY AND A CROSS-VALIDATION GROUP. THE FIRST GROUP CONTAINED INMATES CONVICTED OF NONVIOLENT CRIMES AND THE SECOND GROUP CONTAINED MISDEMEANANTS AND FELONS WITH A VARIETY OF SENTENCES. THESE GROUPS COMPLETED THE BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION BLANK (BIB) FORM, AN INSTRUMENT FOR GATHERING INFORMATION RELATED TO MANY AREAS OF PAST HISTORY AND PRESENT BEHAVIOR, INCLUDING EARLY FAMILY LIFE, RELIGIOUS ACTIVITY, METHODS OF HANDLING UNPLEASANT SITUATIONS, EMPLOYMENT HISTORY, EDUCATION, SELF-PERCEPTIONS, MARITAL HISTORIES, IMPRESSIONS OF ENVIRONMENTS, HABITS, ASSOCIATIONS WITH OTHERS, HEALTH, AND CRIMINAL RECORD DATA. RESPONSE DATA WERE ANALYZED BY PRINCIPAL-FACTORS TECHNIQUES USING PRINCIPAL COMPONENTS AND VARIMAX ROTATION. INDIVIDUAL ITEM RESPONSES WERE SUBJECTED TO MULTIPLE LINEAR REGRESSION AND PREDICTION MODELS WERE DEVELOPED BY ADDING ITEMS ON THE BASIS OF THEIR MAXIMAL INCREASE IN THE MULTIPLE CORRELATION. SIMILAR RESPONSE PATTERNS OCCURRED ACROSS SAMPLES BUT NOT IN SUFFICIENT STRENGTH TO PROVIDE THE SAME FACTOR STRUCTURES FOR BOTH GROUPS. THE WOMEN REMEMBER THEIR EARLY YEARS AS THE HAPPIEST PERIOD OF THEIR LIVES, PLACE A HIGH VALUE ON HAVING A HAPPY HOMELIFE AND WORRY ABOUT THEIR CHANCES OF ACHIEVING THIS OBJECTIVE, AND COME FROM ACTIVELY AND STRONGLY RELIGIOUS FAMILIES. THEY REPORT A PATTERN OF UNDEREDUCATION WHICH IS PREVALENT THROUGH THEIR FAMILIES. THERE IS A STRONG INCONSISTENCY BETWEEN THEIR STATEMENTS OF GOALS AND BEHAVIOR AND A DEARTH OF IDEAS, PLANS, AND ACTIONS DESIGNED TO ACHIEVE STATED OBJECTIVES. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT FEMALE OFFENDERS CANNOT AS YET BE DEFINED ACCORDING TO DISTINCTIVE RESPONSE GROUPINGS. TABULAR DATA AND A BIBLIOGRAPHY ARE PROVIDED. (DAG)