This brief summarizes results of a national study by NORC at the University of Chicago and the Urban Institute of perceptions of fairness of victim compensation programs in Delaware, New York, and West Virginia.
Based on findings from a survey conducted by NORC at the University of Chicago and the Urban Institute with claimants who filed for victim compensation in Delaware, New York, and West Virginia, this brief discusses claimants’ perceptions of fairness of the outcomes of their victim compensation claims. In 2021, NORC and the Urban Institute were funded to conduct a national, multi-method study to update knowledge about victim compensation programs. The impacts of victimization can vary, but often include social, emotional, physical, and financial impacts, each with short and long-term implications. The nature of costs victims incur can also vary by the crime experienced, with survivors of vehicular crimes, child sexual abuse, and homicide accumulating some of the greatest expenses. State victim compensation programs across the U.S. provide financial assistance to victims of crime for the financial, physical, and psychological impacts associated with victimization.