Victim compensation programs offer financial assistance to victims of violence. It is at state level. The state has the funding structure. Once a victim files a lawsuit for damages, the state will start the compensation process. The state will reimburse the victim for lost income and payment of care. The payments have increased to over $500,000 annually, benefiting over 200,000 victims (“Victim compensation,” n.d). The vicarious compensation program must have a sustainable funding source. In this case, the funds come from the offenders and not tax dollars, as is the case with most state programs (“Victim compensation,” n.d). The victim will have to pay the damages. Compensation money can be described as a collection fines or fees. However, the state may receive federal grants collected from offender fines and assessments, covering about 35% of the total amount (“Victim compensation,” n.d). Funding compensation programs depends entirely on whether the accused is charged.
Standards guide the compensation program’s operation. Any victim eligible for the compensation funds, or their relatives, are eligible. The conventional beneficiaries are the rape, assault, child abuse, and domestic violence victims as well as homicide casualty’s families, but assault sufferers receive a significant share (“Victim compensation,” n.d). Justification must be given for reimbursement. You can use the funds for funeral and treatment expenses, as well as any loss or damage. Moreover, the monies can be dispensed to facilitate crime-scene clean-up and housekeeping, in the case of child abuse (“Victim compensation,” n.d). Certain eligibility criteria are required to be eligible for successful compensation.