Most crime-control policymakers assume that the distribution of the frequency of violent crime is portrayed by a bi-model curve that distinguishes between minor offenders and a distinct group of serious offenders. Thus, the target for many crime-control policies is the serious offender who is encompased under the smaller "hump" on the violent end of the continuum. This bi-model distribution does not exist, however; therefore, policies based on it will not yield the intended results, i.e., a significant reduction in violent crime. The larger group of minor offenders who together commit the greatest number of violent acts should be targeted, because the distribution of violence is better described as a continuous skewed curve. Further, the shape of this curve remains constant, and an effective policy to reduce violence would shift the entire curve to the left. A promising strategy would reduce the more numerous acts of lesser violence rather than concentrate on the rare cases of extreme violence. Since much of this violence is nurtured in family settings, policies that decrease stress in family settings would have a meaningful impact on violence in the future. This paper argues that a number of issues relating to the equality of women are related to family violence and thus would have a long-term impact on violent crime. 45 references and 1 figure