Assessing the seriousness of cybercrime: The case of computer misuse crime in the United Kingdom and the victims' perspective.

This article examines the seriousness of computer misuse crimes—cyber-dependent offences such as hacking, computer viruses, and ransomware—in England and Wales, highlighting a significant gap between victims’ perceptions and the criminal justice system’s response. Drawing on official statistics, a survey of 252 victims, and interviews with 52 victims, the research finds that many victims regard these cybercrimes as at least as serious as traditional crimes like burglary, often emphasizing the emotional, psychological, and privacy harms that are not reflected in current legal sentencing or police prioritization. Despite the high volume of such offences revealed by the Crime Survey for England and Wales, prosecutions and sentencing remain rare and comparatively lenient, partly due to policing challenges and limited resources. The article argues for a reassessment of official crime seriousness frameworks and increased criminal justice capacity to better address the invisible harms and growing prevalence of computer misuse crimes.