A first step in preventing and controlling violent behavior is understanding it. To that end, identifying the developmental paths in individuals that contribute to behavioral problems, including delinquency and violent behavior, is the goal of the Program on Human Development and Criminal Behavior; the long-term project consists of a series of integrated studies of crime, delinquency, and antisocial behavior. NIJ research has contributed to changing the way the police view spousal assault, so that it is handled as a crime rather than kept within the bounds of the family. Another study recently begun will generate an extensive national data set on violent victimization and its effects on women. Other studies focus on the attributes of violent offending and the consequences of domestic violence for children. Other research topics pertinent to spousal violence are the effectiveness of arrest, judicial intervention, and the prosecution process. Research pertinent to child abuse and neglect addresses effects later in life and improvement in criminal justice processing. Research on rape and other sex offenses has focused on the frequency of rape, DNA "fingerprinting" in rape and other crimes, assailants' behavior, enhancement of the criminal justice response, better investigations, and community supervision of offenders. Research on the crime of stalking has developed a model law. Research grant numbers accompany the research summaries. 15 notes