Past attempts to measure the severity of crime victims' injuries have suffered from lack of specificity, medical acceptability, methodological rigor, and ability to consider injuries derived from a variety of mechanisms. The failure of these efforts stems largely from a reliance on police and court records, which either lack information on injuries or do not adhere to a standard procedure for including such information. Medical examiner information covers only homicide victims. The Abbreviated Injury Scale (AIS)/Injury Severity Score (ISS) offers a valid, medically acceptable alternative method that allows for the grading of over 500 specific injury descriptions regardless of the injury mechanism or the number of injuries inflicted. This method permits the classification and description of injuries, the assessment of factors affecting lethal outcome independent of injury severity, and the examination of factors influencing the severity of injuries. AIS/ISS is also a methodological tool for examining specific questions regarding patterns of offending and victimization. It can also be useful in determining sentences and victim compensation. 73 references.