Victim Compensation as Survivor Justice: The Potential Benefits and Limitations of the UK Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme in Rape and Sexual Assault

• In Event: Roundtable: Responses to Survivors of Sexual Violence--A Discussion of Current Responses and Potential Avenues to Justice

Abstract

This paper will examine the potential of victim compensation to provide a source of justice for survivors of rape and sexual assault. English and Welsh responses to rape have long been critically examined, leading to many attempted improvements to the Criminal Justice System (Home Office, 2013). Despite this, little attention has been paid to the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme [CICS] and the difficulties applying it to rape. To begin addressing this gap, researchers interviewed and qualitatively surveyed twenty-five Independent Sexual Violence Advisors. The findings suggest that CICS can reinforce rape myths and disadvantage vulnerable survivors, but can also be a source of validation. The paper will therefore discuss the potential benefits and limitations of using victim compensation as a route to survivor justice, linking to the overall roundtable theme by highlighting the inadequacies of current responses to rape and the need to widen notions of justice.

Author

• Olivia Smith, Anglia Ruskin University