The major theoretical approaches in criminology justify the view that family structure and family relationships may have a significant effect upon individuals' antisocial tendencies. The study reported in this paper was conducted in an attempt to explain the criminal offenses, and particularly criminal violence, among a sample of 60 violent and 60 nonviolent prisoners with references to their attachment to, and relationships with, their families. The first finding is that the current level of attachment to the family seems to be a crime- and violence-inhibiting mechanism. The second finding involves the analysis of planned violence. The offspring of parents who were described as nonpunitive planned their violent behavior. However, given the small number of cases, the limited range of variation, and the missing data problem in this study, these findings should be considered very carefully before they are generalized more widely. 1 table and 14 references. (Author abstract modified)