Most studies done on the female offender have centred on problems of homosexuality. This study is concerned with female drug addicts who have been interned in a treatment-oriented correctional institution. In doing this investigation, the focus was on two aspects: the temporal routine of the inmates and the matrons, and the attitudes of both groups towards: rehabilitation goals, the institution as a treatment centre, and institutional practices. The data collection was based primarily on participation in and observation of the interaction between the inmates and the matrons, supplemented with interviews of the members of both groups. It was through the participant-observation that I was able to penetrate the elements of the core culture. In this sense, the core culture refers to the complex of attitudes and practices of matrons and inmates centering around parole. Several institutional constraints seemed to be influencing the effectiveness of therapy programmes. Among these constraints, attention was given to an examination of: the treatment-versus-custody roles of the staff, the structure and composition of therapy groups, and the extent of inmate participation in therapy programmes. / Arts, Faculty of / Anthropology, Department of / Graduate