In the 1990's, homicide became the second leading cause of death among adolescents in the United States and the leading cause of death among African-American male adolescents (Snyder and Sickmund, 1995). In addition to the increased use of firearms, there were more apparently "random" violent events and assaults on strangers without provocations (Fox, 1996). In her analysis of crime patterns in the United States over 13 years, Kathleen Heide reported that homicides for juveniles increased every year from 1984 through to 1993. The rate of juvenile homicide in the United Kingdom has not risen appreciably over the last 50 years. A proportion of these killings involved sexual assaults and/or extreme repeated violence. It may be inferred tentatively that in the United Kingdom killings by children or adolescents may be more likely to reflect serious personal psychopathology. Any discussion of juvenile homicide must explore not only the impact of gun availability in the United States, but also the influence of pervasive violence portrayed in the media. 33 references