The connection between poverty, childhood abuse, and criminal violence has long been recognized. A 1993 panel convened by the National Research Council concluded that economic hardship is the single best predictor of criminal violence among youth. Other analyses note that the United States is becoming an increasingly unequal society. Those holding this position propose targeting resources toward four proven preventive measures to help the youths most at risk. These include child abuse prevention, recreational interventions, improved education to develop skills for employment, and increased employment options. Critics of this approach argue that it will be enormously expensive and possibly ineffective and that efforts to help the poor or creating jobs for poor youth have not been notably successful. They also argue that government efforts to help the poor have undermined both the two-parent family and the belief in individual responsibility and that the connection between poverty and crime is understated. Figure, photograph, and illustrations