NCJ Number
76764
Date Published
1978
Length
63 pages
Annotation
This report summarizes the activities and decisions from July 1, 1977 to June 30, 1978 of Maryland's Criminal Injuries Compensation Board, which operates Maryland's program of compensation to crime victims.
Abstract
The board, created in 1968, determines three types of awards: lump sum payments for claimants who return to work with no loss of earnings, protracted claims involving monthly payments during a period of disability and reduction in earnings, and death claims providing an award for the period up to the time of the decision and subsequent monthly payments to dependents. The number of applications for awards increased greatly over the previous year, indicating an increase in public awareness of the program. A total of 476 claims were accepted and investigated. The 407 decisions involved 341 awards and 66 denials of awards. The most common claims involved assaults and shootings. Monthly payments are currently being made for 86 death claims and 94 personal injury claims. Awards during the year totaled over $1.4 million, of which about one-third involved lump sum payments. The program is based on the philosophy that helping innocent victims of crimes promotes the administration of justice. Claimants included the wife of a man found shot to death by an unknown assailant, the mother of a 15-year-old girl who was shot in the head by another teenager, a woman who was robbed and assaulted on a public street. It is expected that the board's workload will greatly increase every year for the next few years. As a result, the budget needs will increase yearly. A description of procedures for filing and handling claims and summaries of each claim made during the year are included.