There is a growing body of evidence that specialization in violent crimes is rare and that it is hard to identify distinguishing characteristics of violent offenders. The purpose of this study, conducted in a Pacific Northwest city, was to determine whether violent behavior is, in fact, a manifestation of high rates of antisocial behavior in general, and that the violent adolescent offender is a member of the broader category of multiple offenders. The study population included 200 boys recruited from elementary schools in neighborhoods with a high incidence of delinquency. The boys were assessed yearly between 4th and 10th grade. Assessments consisted of parent and child interviews, home observations, videotaped interaction tasks, school data, and juvenile court records. Study findings indicated that: (1) all offenders with an arrest for violence by 10th grade had been arrested at least twice for a nonstatus offense, and that the 17 repeat offenders with arrests for violence had twice as many arrests as repeat offenders with no arrests for violence; (2) by age 17, 55% of multiple offenders had 1 arrest for violence; (3) there were few differences in the family backgrounds and developmental histories of violent and nonviolent juvenile offenders once frequency of arrest was controlled for; (4) families with violent adolescents had lower per capita incomes and higher antisocial behavior among the fathers than other families; and (5) all multiple offenders, violent and nonviolent, showed elevated antisocial behavior and deficits in other areas, with the nonviolent group showing slightly more problematic behavior than the violent group. (AC)