The study's general hypothesis was that offenders from chemically dependent families have much harsher childhoods than those from non-chemically dependent families and may be at greater risk of continuing maladaptive behavior without specialized intervention than those from non-chemically dependent families. A random sample of 96 adults on probation for felony offenses was taken from a pool of over 500 probationers in a medium-sized State probation and parole office in the Midwest. These probationers were then administered a series of questionnaires designed to answer questions that pertained to exposure to family violence, the experience of abuse and neglect, runaway behavior, family adaptability and cohesiveness, self-reported juvenile delinquency, and chemical dependency. Of the 96 probationers in the study, 43 were from homes where alcoholism or chemical dependency was a serious problem. Results confirm the hypothesis. Probationers from substance abusing families experienced significantly more family dysfunction than offenders from non-substance-abusing families on almost every variable studied. These findings suggest that probation departments should identify clients from substance-abusing families and provide them with specialized intervention services designed to address their childhood experiences. 7 tables and 20 references