Crime Victim Compensation Program Initiative Fact Sheet

• NCJ Number: 249924
• Date Published: July 2016
• Length: 3 pages
• Publication Series: OVC Fact Sheets
• Agencies: OVC
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description; Program Description (Model); Grants and Funding; Factsheet

Annotation

This overview of the U.S. Justice Department's Crime Victim Compensation Program Initiative (CVCPI) for assisting States in starting or improving a State crime victim compensation program addresses the features of a crime victim compensation program, what three States have done with their CVCPI funding, and where to obtain more information on their crime victim compensation programs.

Abstract

Every State, the District of Columbia, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico have a crime victim compensation program, which provides funding to crime victims for financial losses and costs caused by their victimization. For the past 3 fiscal years (FY 2013-16), the CVCPI has awarded funds to three State crime victim compensation programs (California, Iowa, and Vermont), which currently serve as models of responsiveness for other States to replicate. From the outset of the funding period, these three States examined the needs of their crime victims and identified critical gaps and challenges in their procedures that may impede crime victims from applying for the compensation they deserve. Next, the programs planned innovative projects, policies, and practices that addressed identified deficiencies in their programs. In addition, each program established local partnerships for collaborating on the implementation of statewide projects and local projects designed to meet distinctive local needs related to crime victim compensation. This fact sheet describes how each of the States assessed victim and program needs and addressed these needs with innovative policies and projects. Contact information is provided for obtaining additional information on each of the three States' victim compensation programs.