Rita J. Simon is a University Professor in the School of Public Affairs and the Washington College of Law at American University. She is the author and editor of numerous books, including Global Perspectives on Social Issues: Juvenile Justice Systems (with Paola Zalkind, Lexington Books, 2004), and Adoption Across Borders (with Howard Altstein, Rowman and Littlefield, 2000). Heather Ahn-Redding is a Doctoral candidate in Justice, Law, and Society at American University.

• Chapter 1 IntroductionChapter 2 Women and Crime in ReviewChapter 3 The Contemporary Women's MovementChapter 4 American Women: Their Demographic and Status CharacteristicsChapter 5 Arrest StatisticsChapter 6 Women in CourtChapter 7 Women in PrisonChapter 8 Epilogue

Rita Simon and Heather Ahn-Redding deliver a detailed and nuanced picture of the changing character of women's involvement in the criminal justice system since the early 1970s. Their balanced and probing analysis of the most recent data offers fresh insights into the crimes women commit, how they are treated by the courts, and how they fare in the prisons. This landmark work is must reading for anyone interested in female crime patterns over the last 35 years.