The overview of the nature of youth violence notes a growing trend of self-perpetuating cycles of youth violence. Many youths carry guns and other weapons in order to protect themselves from other youths carrying weapons. This means that many confrontations between youths lead to death and injury from gunshots. The discussion of the linkages between violence and substance abuse notes that more than 50 percent of homicides and assaults involve assailants who are under the influence of alcohol. Links that connect alcohol, other drugs, and violence differ widely according to the types of drugs, the amounts used, and the patterns of use. Some of the risk factors in youth violence and problem behavior are violence between family members, family dysfunction, school failure, community social and economic disintegration, and drug use. Protective factors include positive bonding to family and school; skills for resisting negative behavior and succeeding in various endeavors; positive alternatives to negative or problem behavior; close relationships with peers involved in positive and constructive pursuits; and communities in which norms and expectations for the behavior of youth are clearly defined, widely accepted, and effectively communicated and supported. The suggested framework for preventing youth violence and problem behavior builds on these protective and preventive factors. The role of the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention in providing youth-oriented prevention initiatives is also discussed. 24 references