Domestic Violence and Crime Victim Compensation: A Research Agenda

• NCJ Number: 200061
• Journal: Violence Against Women Volume: 9 Issue: 3 Dated: March 2003 Pages: 374-390
• Author(s): Fran S. Danis
• Date Published: March 2003
• Length: 17 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Using State-by-State data from the U.S. Justice Department's Web site under the Office for Victims of Crime, this article examines how many victims of domestic violence receive services through victims' assistance programs and how many receive reimbursement for crime-related expenses.

Abstract

The Office for Victims of Crime (OVC) administers two major formula grant programs authorized by the Victims of Crime Act (VOCA): the State-administered Crime Victim Compensation program and Victim Assistance. Both programs are funded through fines and penalties paid by Federal criminal offenders rather than through taxes. The OVC maintains a comprehensive Web site on which are posted States' annual reports for both VOCA-funded programs. The Victim Assistance annual grant report includes a statistical summary of total annual appropriations and number of victims served with type of victimization specified, types of services received, and number of agencies funded by the State. Using the data available on the Web site, this study created a database to track the number of domestic violence victims who received services from both the VOCA-funded programs during calendar year 1999. Nationally, Victim-Assistance-funded programs provided services to 3,304,514 crime victims, 53.46 percent (n=1,766,607) of whom were victims of domestic violence. The Crime Victim Compensation program paid claims to 123,541 victims, only 13.40 percent of whom were domestic violence victims. Although it would not be realistic to expect every domestic violence victim to apply for and receive Crime Victim Compensation funds, it is clear that domestic violence victims are underserved by the Crime Victim Compensation program. A comprehensive research agenda for examining barriers that prevent victims from submitting eligible claims should identify and examine barriers that may exist at the State, community, and individual levels. 3 tables and 19 references