A study was conducted to explore whether a close, or more personal relationship between a criminal offender and victim of an assault was related to the extent of injury to the victim. Case records of 328 pretrial defendants and presentence offenders examined during a seven-year period at a Court Psychiatric Clinic were reviewed. Records included data on victim relationship and victim injury as reported by the interviewing psychiatrist. Findings revealed that when a closer relationship between offender and victim existed, severity of victim-injury was greater. This relationship was found regardless of the diagnosis or age of the offender and regardless of the sex or age of the victim.