NCJ Number
134821
Date Published
1991
Length
32 pages
Annotation
This review of the Department of Justice's implementation of the victim compensation and victim assistance grant programs under the Victims of Crime Act found that the four States reviewed generally complied with the law's objectives, although data limitations hamper the ability of the Office for Victims of Crime to evaluate and report program results.
Abstract
The analysis used data from samples of 474 victim compensation claims and 417 victim assistance applications in California, Michigan, New York, and Ohio. The States complied with the law's objectives when they compensated victims for medical expenses, lost wages, and funeral expenses and when awarding funds to public and nonprofit service providers. As allowed under the Federal guidelines, the States vary in their administrative structures, eligibility criteria, compensation limits, and funding determinants. However, these differences did not appear to affect the States' compliance with the law's goals. The inaccurate and inconsistent State performance reports used by the Federal office and the lack of data on spending in priority areas hampers the ability of the Office for Victims of Crime to report and evaluate the results of the program; better reporting is needed. Tables, footnotes, and appended tables and background information