Because a few studies have concluded that U.S. victim compensation programs are not accessed by crime victims because victims are unaware of such programs and police officers overlook sharing the information, the current study examined this issue from the perspective of state compensation directors and police executives.
The state compensation directors and police executives were surveyed to determine their opinions about police officers’ basic knowledge of victims’ compensation programs, reasons why victim compensation programs are rarely accessed by victims, and the most effective ways to inform crime victims of their right to receive compensation to assist in addressing financial harms from the victimization. Surveys were administered to 38 state compensation directors and 23 law enforcement executives from across the United States. Survey results confirmed the belief that many eligible victims are not receiving compensation and that better training of patrol officers on compensation eligibility and benefits was needed; however, only 1 in 10 of the state directors identified police failure to notify victims as a major reason for victims not filing claims. The consensus of both police administrators and state compensation directors was that although police patrol officers should provide basic notification to victims of compensation availability, it is important that victim advocates and police detectives follow up with more detailed information in the days following victimization. Based on the study findings, policy implications and future directions for research on increasing victim access to compensation are discussed. (publisher abstract modified)