The serious delinquents were all clients of the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services (DYS). One-half of the youths were exposed to violence or serious neglect in the home. Two-fifths were victims, and 10 percent witnessed the abuse of a sibling or mother. Girls were almost twice as likely as boys to experience abuse. Physical abuse was the most common form of abuse for both sexes, followed by neglect for boys and sexual assault for girls. The majority of abused or neglected youths were not reported to the State's Department or Social Services for parental abuse or neglect and did not receive any individual or family counseling services prior to their commitment to DYS. Reporting rates< were similar for physical and sexual abuse. However, multiply abused youths were much more likely to be reported. Abused youths without abused siblings attempted suicide at a much higher rate than abused youths with abused siblings. Abusive situations did not correlate with economic or ethnic characteristics. Natural parents were the most common abusers, but stepparents were more often involved in multiple forms of abuse. The relationship between family violence and delinquency was unclear. The analysis concludes that the State needs a plan for identifying and treating these youths. Data tables, appendixes, 56 references.