The number of women in prison has increased both statewide and nationally in recent decades. Most females in state prisons are incarcerated for drug or property offenses. Incarcerated women are often mothers, in poverty, undereducated, and unskilled. Research has revealed incarcerated women often have histories of being abused and that many are dealing with mental health issues or substance abuse. Although victimization among this population has been the subject of prior studies, few have examined victimization in detail across the life course of each woman. This study attempts to fill this gap in the research about female victimization by interviewing female inmates in Illinois prisons. Researchers interviewed inmates at three female-only Illinois Department of Corrections (IDOC) facilitiesDwight (maximum security), Lincoln (medium security), and Decatur (minimum security). A random sample of 163 inmates was interviewed. Interview questions concentrated on participants histories of substance abuse, physical abuse, sexual abuse, stalking and emotional abuse, trauma, and help-seeking strategies related to these issues. The study incorporated a life history calendar to record events that happened over the life course of each woman interviewed.