THE USE OF PHYSICAL FORCE BY PARENTS TO RESTRAIN AND PUNISH CHILDREN, SANCTIONED VIOLENCE IN WARS AND OTHER CONTEXTS, SEX ROLES, AND VIOLENCE IN THE MEDIA ARE AMONG CULTURAL FACTORS SAID TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE PROCESS OF SOCIALIZATION THROUGH WHICH CHILDREN COME TO ACCEPT VIOLENCE AS PART OF THEIR LIVES. STUDIES POINTING TO A NUMBER OF CONDITIONS--SENSORY DEPRIVATION, LACK OF AFFECTION, SEXUAL REPRESSION, PUNITIVENESS, ETC.--THAT BREED VIOLENCE ARE CITED. THE SUBCULTURE OF VIOLENCE THEORY--THE IDEA THAT ACCEPTANCE OF VIOLENCE IS TRANSMITTED CULTURALLY FROM ONE GENERATION TO THE NEXT--IS DISCUSSED, WITH REFERENCE TO THE MECHANISMS BY WHICH VIOLENT BEHAVIOR IS LEARNED AND TO THE SOCIAL DYNAMICS OF FAMILY LIFE. STATISTICS FROM THE UNIFORM CRIME REPORTS AND OTHER SOURCES INDICATIVE OF THE EXTENT AND CHARACTER OF FAMILY CRIMINAL VIOLENCE--MATRICIDE AND PATRICIDE, SPOUSE KILLING SPOUSE, PARENTS KILLING CHILDREN, ETC.--ARE PRESENTED, INCLUDING DATA ON THE DISPOSITION OF FAMILY HOMICIDE CASES AND A BRIEF MENTION OF STUDIES IN OTHER COUNTRIES. POLICY STATEMENTS TO THE EFFECT THAT FAMILY VIOLENCE IS LARGELY BEYOND POLICE CONTROL ARE QUESTIONED. A KANSAS CITY, MO., STUDY LINKING HOMICIDES AND ASSAULTS WITH PRIOR FAMILY DISTURBANCE CALLS IS CITED AS EVIDENCE THAT GREATER ATTENTION TO THE HANDLING OF SUCH CALLS MIGHT REDUCE DOMESTIC HOMICIDE AND FAMILY VIOLENCE IN GENERAL. IT IS CONCLUDED THAT, WHILE VIOLENCE IN THE FAMILY IS PARTLY A REFLECTION OF VIOLENT EXPRESSIONS IN THE CULTURE GENERALLY, SERIOUS CRIMES IN FAMILIES MOST COMMONLY ARE RELATED TO SUBCULTURAL VALUES THAT EITHER FAIL TO INHIBIT PHYSICAL RESPONSES OR ACTUALLY CONDONE OR ENCOURAGE THEM. THE POTENTIAL BENEFITS OF DISPERSING THE MEMBERS OF VIOLENT SUBCULTURES, PERHAPS BY INTRODUCING GREATER HETEROGENEITY INTO NEIGHBORHOODS AND HOUSING PROJECTS, ARE CONSIDERED. TABULAR DATA ARE INCLUDED. (LKM)