11 states explicitly deny victim compensation awards based on a victim or survivor’s conviction history, outstanding warrants, unpaid fines and fees, or probation or parole status.
In 1984, Congress passed the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA) which established the Crime Victims Fund (CVF) to provide financial support to state crime victim compensation programs and victim service providers. The CVF is financed by fines and penalties from convictions in federal cases. States have also historically supplemented annual CVF funding through the collection of criminal fines and fees. Reliance on fines and fees for these essential services, exacerbates existing economic inequities, particularly for Black and brown communities, who are overpoliced and overincarcerated, and often the most in need of victim compensation, yet the least likely to receive it.
This report provides an in-depth examination of victim compensation laws in all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and Puerto Rico. Relying on analysis of state statutes and insights from survivors of violence, victim service providers, and advocates, the State Victim Compensation Statute Rubric evaluates state statute and regulations based on criteria that affect the victim compensation process. The authors also provide recommendations to help states better support survivors of violence, including the removal of barriers based on fines and fees.
Read the full report here.