Previous research has explored the intergenerational transmission of violence in which theorists claim that childhood abuse may lead to the adult commission of violent crime. However, much of this research has simply focused on whether or not abuse was present without attempting to discern if there are different effects depending of the severity of the abuse. The current study explored how the quality of past abuse impacted future involvement in violent crime during adulthood. Participants were 719 incarcerated male offenders who completed a modified conflict tactics scale to measure parental discipline practices and aspects of physical abuse, including frequency, variety, and severity. Data on criminal histories were obtained from official records. Results of multivariate analyses suggest that a history of both severe and chronic physical abuse may influence later involvement in violent crime. However, the appearance of severe abuse or chronic abuse on their own was not significantly related to later adult violent crime. Future research should focus on examining this same issue as it pertains to women’s involvement in violent crime. Tables, notes, references