Page 5 - Victim Compensation Program News Today

The Crime Victim Compensation Program has helped 1,300 individuals in four years, but diversion programs have eroded the amount of funds coming in.

The Indiana Criminal Justice Institute is reminding crime victims throughout the state they may be eligible for compensation through the state’s Victim Compensation Program.

From 2017-2019, Indiana was among the states with higher rates of property crimes than the national average.

WSHU’s J.D. Allen spoke with Sara Director, a partner at Barasch & McGarry, about how women, who lived, worked, went to school near to the September 11th terror attacks, or were first responders to Ground Zero, and were later diagnosed with uterine cancer, can find relief.

Late child sex trafficker and sex offender Jeffrey Epstein was caught up in a sex trafficking case in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Following a settlement, the Epstein estate must now pay more than $105 million.

Violent crime is a social ill that negatively affects millions of people every year in the United States.

The Department of Justice said this week that payments of $372 million were distributed to 40,000 victims worldwide, the eighth such payment distributed by the Madoff Victim Fund, part of the DOJ’s Victim Compensation Program.

Thousands of Californians who survive violent crimes like sexual assault or domestic abuse receive cost-free mental health treatment under a state program. But Southern California providers say red tape is making it more difficult than ever for the most vulnerable to get help.

Though the money is important, an attorney says the settlement means validation for his clients and having ‘their voice heard.’

The Victim Compensation program serves as a safety net for victims since it acts as the payer of last resort, which means that a victim has exhausted all other forms of payment – like insurance or Medicare.