SUBJECTS WERE JUVENILES INCARCERATED FOR VIOLENT OFFENSES BETWEEN JUNE 1973 AND MARCH 1977. ALL 95 YOUTHS HAD TAKEN THEIR VICTIMS' LIVES OR ASSAULTED THEM WITH A DEADLY WEAPON AND HAD BEEN A DIRECT PARTICIPANT IN THE ACT. DATA WERE COLLECTED BY SEMISTRUCTURED INTERVIEWS AND BY REVIEW OF OFFICIAL RECORDS. THE STUDY'S SUBJECTS WERE SIMILAR IN CLASS, ETHNICITY, URBAN BACKGROUND, AND PRIOR ARREST RECORDS TO THOSE IN OTHER PERCENT STUDIES OF ASSAULTIVE ADULT AND JUVENILE CRIMINALS. DATA SHOW THAT CRIMES MOST OFTEN OCCURRED IN LATE EVENING HOURS. IN CONTRAST TO FINDINGS FOR ADULT CRIMES, 37 PERCENT OF THE VIOLENT OFFENSES WERE COMMITTED DURING ANOTHER FELONY, USUALLY A ROBBERY; 21 PERCENT WERE COMMITTED DURING GANG WARFARE. MOREOVER, ALMOST HALF OF THE VICTIMS WERE COMPLETELY UNKNOWN TO THEIR ASSAILANTS; ANOTHER 39 PERCENT WERE CASUAL ACQUAINTANCES. VICTIMS WERE OFTEN OLDER CAUCASIANS. OVER THREE-FIFTHS OF THE OFFENDERS HAD TAKEN ALCOHOL, EITHER ALONE OR WITH OTHER DRUGS, SHORTLY BEFORE THE ASSAULT; OVER HALF OF THE OFFENDERS HAD USED A GUN. RESULTS INDICATED THAT THREE-QUARTERS OF THE ASSAULTS BELONGED TO TWO CATEGORIES: FELONIOUS AND DYSSOCIAL. THE FINDINGS ON GUNS, ALCOHOL, AND TIME OF ASSAULT INDICATE THAT GOVERNMENT MAY NEED TO RECONSIDER SUCH RESTRICTIVE MEASURES AS FIREARMS REGISTRATION, STRICT LIQUOR LAW ENFORCEMENT, AND CURFEWS FOR OFFENDERS. ALTHOUGH THESE MEASURES PRESENT MANY POLITICAL AND PRACTICAL PROBLEMS, THEY MERIT CONSIDERATION IN VIEW OF CHANGING PATTERNS OF VIOLENT CRIME. TABLES, A FIGURE, AND A REFERENCE LIST ARE INCLUDED. (CFW)