The goals of the committees are to improve knowledge of criminal and violent phenomena, to assess the local situations, to propose preventive measures to governmental authorities, and to provide information about opinions on crime and violence. The national committee is presided over by the prime minister and consists of representatives of the parliament, the economic and social council, and interested ministries, as well as qualified citizens. One meeting a year is held with the prime minister; the main work of the committee is performed by work groups. The local committees are composed of the local prefect, judges, local government representatives, and local citizens. The local committees meet as often as is necessary. The committees represent a response to increases in crime and violence. One of the principal problems of the committees is determining a course of preventive action: while there is general agreement on the need for preventive measures, it remains unclear how crime can be efficiently prevented. Violence is conditioned by the degree of tolerance in individual societies as well as by the stresses within those societies. The increasingly violent crimes of modern society appear to be the result of the accelerated pace of development and the rapid evolution of new forms of social maladjustment. At the same time, it has become apparent that knowledge of crime causes is inadequate and that repressive laws are not necessarily the most effective means of crime control. As a consequence, the French committee on the national level is designed to provide advice on the potential effects of proposed legislation. To achieve this goal, the committee is expected to collect expert knowledge on the phenomenon of violence and different forms of crime. This includes problems of society which affect crime and violence, although a basically practical orientation must be maintained. Public information campaigns must be conducted on such subjects as control of alcoholism, effects of government action, and the real crime situation. Finally, the committees should serve as a means of coordinating the divergent preventive efforts of a wide variety of public and private organizations. On the whole, it is hoped that the committees will help form the basis for a viable crime prevention policy. Notes are supplied.