NCJ Number
119716
Date Published
Unknown
Length
48 pages
Annotation
The idea of the Crime Victims Division (CVD) is to make criminals, not taxpayers, pay for services to crime victims.
Abstract
CVD administers the Illinois Crime Victims Compensation Act, the Illinois Violent Crime Victims Assistance Act, the Illinois Attorney General's Advisory Council on Crime Victims, and the Violent Crimes Advisory Commission pursuant to the Violent Crime Victims Assistance Act. Major legislative amendments initiated by Illinois Attorney General Hartigan are outlined, such as the removal of a previously imposed $200 minimum loss requirement; the raising of the maximum compensation amount from $15,000 to $25,000, funeral and burial benefits from $2,000 to $3,000, and earnings and support compensation from $750 to $1,000 per month; the expansion of counseling services; the inclusion of cooking, cleaning, and child care replacement services for permanently injured crime victims; and tuition reimbursement. From 1983 to 1988, more than 7,800 compensation claims were filed of which more than 4,700 awarded compensation exceeding $15 million. Sections of the report cover the Illinois Crime Victims Compensation Program, Violent Crime Victims Assistance Program, Advisory Council, Bill of Rights for Victims and Witnesses of Violent Crime, and Victim Impact Statement.