CDC builds its prevention efforts on the basis of public health surveillance. Public health professions use surveillance systems focusing on mortality and morbidity associated with violence to disseminate information on homicide as a cause of death, to monitor public health objectives for homicide, to examine epidemiological characteristics of different types of homicide, to describe patterns of homicide victimization in minority populations, and to study physical child abuse. The surveillance systems described here relate to nonfatal violent injuries, behaviors and risk factors, firearm injuries, family and intimate violence, and risk characteristics of injury-related mortality. 3 tables, 7 references, and 9 exhibits