The introductory article discusses the risks of contemporary adolescence, opportunities for research, opportunities for intervention, and opportunities for policy. An article then reports on the work of the American Psychological Association Commission on Violence and Youth, which was established to bring psychological expertise to bear on the problems society faces as growing numbers of youth become victims, witnesses, or perpetrators of interpersonal violence or live under the constant threat of violence. A third article on development during adolescence focuses on the impact of stage-environment fit on young adolescents' experiences in schools and in families. The article hypothesizes that some of the negative psychological changes associated with adolescent development result from a mismatch between the needs of developing adolescents and the opportunities afforded them by their social environments. An article reports on a study of perception of risk among adolescent and adult groups; the study found that perception of relative invulnerability was no more pronounced for adolescents than for adults. Other articles discuss successful adolescent development among youth in high-risk settings, prevention and treatment programs that target adolescent mental health, psychology's role in the public health response to assaultive violence among young African- American men, depression in adolescence, adolescent suicide prevention, priorities for research on adolescent development, and adolescent health in a report to the U.S. Congress. Article tables and references