Inequality in Crime Victim Compensation
In the aftermath of crime, victims face considerable challenges. Survivors of gun violence rack up hospital bills. Rape victims seek mental health counseling and relocate to safer environments. Families of murdered loved ones plan funerals while trying to manage their grief. If there is a common thread across these examples it is that victimization is costly. Crime victim compensation is a public benefit intended to cover these and other financial costs associated with crime. Victim compensation benefits can be used to cover medical bills, counseling, relocation, funerals, crime scene cleanup, and other related expenses after insurance and welfare benefits are accounted for. Crime victim compensation programs are managed by states with up to 75% of program costs paid for by a federal subsidy.
Yet only some victims are eligible for compensation. In general, eligible victims must suffer bodily harm and have documented expenses directly related to their injuries. The emphasis on innocence brings the police (and any associated bias) directly into state officials’ decision-making processes.
Key findings
- Crime victim compensation is a public benefit managed by states and subsidized by the federal government. It can cover innocent crime victims’ medical bills, mental health counseling, lost wages, funeral costs, and other expenses related to injuries caused by crime.
- States impose several eligibility restrictions to limit the benefit to “innocent” victims of crime. Innocence is by and large determined by whether police officers believe victims are cooperative or engaged in any misconduct in the lead up to the crime.
- As a result of these and other eligibility restrictions, Black and Indigenous victims are less likely to be compensated than victims from other social groups. For women, victims of sexual assault and domestic violence are among the least likely to be compensated.
- Lawmakers should reform eligibility criteria and remove racialized and gendered barriers to crime victim benefits
