millicent pierce is one of the simba instructors. this program "count the cost" was started as a result of my own experiences with violence, first as a victim of violence, second as somebody who fought fire with fire. i was in an abusive relationship. my husband would fight me all the time, and i ended up killing him in response, and i served time in prison as a result. more than 50% of all homicides are a result of violence between family members, friends or acquaintances. that's right. it's not strangers, it's people that know each other that are hurting each other and killing each other, more than 50%. so we've got to look at what's going on with people. why are we hurting our loved ones and the people that we know? there are many approaches to answering this question. some studies are focusing on environmental factors that may contribute to violence. others are asking if genetic make up could predispose certain people to act violently. well, we think that genes are important for violent behavior, but it's clear that the environme