Results of a crime seriousness survey released in 1980 revealed that a sample of 60,000 Americans rated a simple homicide about four times as serious an offense as a break-in burglary of $1,000 loss in an empty house. Despite the fact that homicide will be the cause of death of 1 percent of all Americans, new attempts to reduce homicide rates through policy innovation were noteworthy during the 1970s for their rarity, geographic isolation, and transient character. Finally, the median prison term for homicide is approximately 2.5 years nationwide. Stranger-to-stranger killings that appear to threaten large segments of the population elicit far harsher punishment than killings in which the victim and defendant were acquainted. It is suggested that unless citizens identify with its victims, homicide loses much of its horror. The article includes two notes and seven references.