Black female prisoners' perceptions of their separation from their children were examined. A 100-item questionnaire, using a Transactional Analytical approach, and eight cards from the Separation-Attachment Apperception Test (SAAT) were administered to female prisoners. Prisoners were residents of a Federal and a State penal institution. Descriptive data revealed that imprisoned mothers perceived themselves as loving, warm, nurturant, and dependent. Communication between mothers, children, and guardians was viewed as being present but garbled. Feelings of despair and depression pervaded most stories to the SAAT. New approaches to female correctional programming were discussed. (Author)