The files yielded 346 perpetrators of crimes of violence against persons and 447 other offenders. The median and mode ages of the offenders were 25 and 22 years, respectively. Of the 44 percent who were guilty of crimes of violence against persons, 68 percent were drunk when committing the crime. Among the nonviolent offenders, 38 percent were drunk at the time. The exception to the pattern of drunkenness when committing violent crimes against persons occurred with regard to psychotic assailants. This analysis suggests an association between inebriation and bursts of violence. Socioeconomic and educational strata did not appear to correlate significantly with violent behavior. Weekend violence was evident among lower class subjects, but upper class subjects contributed a higher proportion of violence among all offenses. Thus, personal and interpersonal distress appears to result in inebriation, while socioeconomic and educational shortcomings do not. Thus, drinking patterns in Sweden and the United States appear to be similar. However, the homicide rate in Sweden is about one-tenth of that in the United States. One explanation for this difference may involve the use of firearms. Swedish killings occur by firearms 23 percent of the time; in the United States the figure is 67 percent. Further studies of personality traits of violence-prone offenders are recommended. Tables and 15 references are included. (Author abstract modified)