The need to better understand and manage risk of violent behavior among per
sons with severe mental illness (SMI) in community care is increasingly bei
ng recognized. Of particular concern is a subset of the SMI population char
acterized by a "revolving door" pattern of institutional recidivism and poo
r adherence to outpatient treatment Little empirical research exists which
examines the specific dimensions of violent incidents and their surrounding
context in this population. The present paper describes characteristics of
violent behavioral events in a sample of 331 people with psychotic or majo
r mood disorders who were placed on involuntary outpatient commitment in No
rth Carolina. By pooling baseline data from respondents' self-report, colla
teral informant interviews, and hospital records, the study found violent b
ehavior to be a problem affecting over half the sample in a 4-month period
preceding hospitalization. The study also found considerable variability in
the frequency of violent events, severity weapon use, subjective state whe
n incidents occurred initiation of fights, settings, relationship to others
involved, and associated threat of victimization. Multivariable analyses s
howed that cooccurring substance abuse problems, history of criminal victim
ization, and age (being younger) were significantly associated with violent
behavior when all sources of data were taken into account. Clinical diagno
sis and symptom variables were not related to violence in this sample. Impl
ications of these findings for service delivery priorities and future resea
rch are discussed.