Researchers note that family histories of adolescents on death row have revealed a number of prominent signs, including sexual abuse, violence between parents, extreme violence with weapons by family members, physical abuse, parental alcoholism, and parental psychiatric hospitalizations. Still, little attention has been given by researchers to the family characteristics or family impact of adolescents convicted of murder. The use of qualitative data would be one potentially useful research tool. Already the comments of adolescents on death row have raised the possibility that parents may not always reveal certain negative aspects of family functioning because of the ramifications for the parents. Researchers must learn whether adolescent murderers have anything in common with adult murderers and how they compare with adolescents and adults convicted of other acts of violence. Such research will provide a basis for better understanding how to prevent and treat these problems. 40 references