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This article provides a review of various types of literature on gender differences among substance abusers. The authors begin this literature review by summarizing the literature on the differing treatment needs of men and women. The authors continue with a review of the empirically based literature on gender differences in background characteristics of substance users. They conclude with a review of treatment outcome studies. This review provides a context for identifying the gaps in the literature and identifies a research agenda that will help improve treatment services for women in both community-based and prison settings.Knowledge about gender differences in pathways into addiction and crime have established that these differences are critical in delivering effective treatment to both women and men. One fifth of all persons arrested are women, and many women who commit crimes have substance use problems. In a random sample of women arrested for any crime, 65% tested positive for one or more of the following drugs: cocaine, opiates, marijuana, methamphetamines, or phencyclidine (PCP; National Institute of Justice, 2003). In an effort to address this issue, many women have been mandated into substance use treatment programs in both residential (including prison-based) and community-based settings.To design effective substance use treatment programs for women who enter through the criminal justice system, an understanding of the research 343 BERNADETTE PELISSIER, Federal Bureau of Prisons. NICOLE JONES, Federal Bureau of Prisons.We thank Barbara Owen, who contributed to an earlier version of this article and the anonymous reviewers who provided invaluable comments.

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Without controlling for selection bias, the effects of treatment would most likely have been attenuated. The results have greater generalizability than other studies of prison-based treatment. This study occurred within a multisite context of 20 programs serving both male and female inmates and operating within different security levels and different geographic regions.