Seriousness ratings were obtained for both, as well as respondents' views of what penalties were appropriate for offenses of differing degrees of seriousness. Findings indicate that most crimes reported were regarded as trivial, although the legal categories into which they fell were poor indicators of how victims viewed their seriousness. Although reporting to the police was heavily influenced by the offense's seriousness, not all offenses regarded as serious were reported, nor were all trivial offenses unreported. An examination of the questions asked of both victims and nonvictims indicates that victimization did not alter people's views about the seriousness of various crime types, except that assault victims rated this offense as more trivial than those who had not been assaulted. Apparently young people considered property crime to be less serious than in the past, although both young and old alike continued to view offenses against the person as the most serious. 13 tables, 52 references.