This report on a study of family violence in the homes of serious juvenile offenders in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts contains a brief introduction and seven substantive sections. Sections 2, 3 and 4 review the literature with regard to the extent of family violence, the consequences of childhood victimization, and societal reaction to the problem. The research design and methodology are detailed in section 5, and findings are presented in sections 6 and 7. Findings indicate that: (1) one-half of the youths had been exposed to violence or serious neglect in the home; (2) the majority of abused or neglected youths had not been reported to the Department of Social Services for parental abuse or neglect nor had they received any counseling services prior to commitment as juvenile offenders; (3) nearly twice as many multiply-abused youths were reported to Social Services as those suffering only one type of abuse; (4) abused youths without abused siblings had attempted suicide at a much higher incidence than abused youth with abused siblings; (5) certain economic or ethnic groups were more likely to be involved in abusive situations than were others, with stepparents increasing the likelihood of multiple forms of abuse; (6) no apparent relationship between drug or alcohol involvement, psychological problems, attempted suicide, and exposure to family violence was found; and (7) demographic characteristics did not distinguish reported families from non-reported families. A section of conclusions discusses policy implications and offers specific recommendations for identification, response, and intervention. Appendices provide definitions of abuse and neglect categories and copies of the study instruments. A 56-item bibliography is included. (ABL)