Victims’ Satisfaction with Victims’ Compensation: Exploring the Current Status of these Programs and the Factors that Influence Satisfaction

• In Event: Victims' Rights and Remedies

Abstract

Despite victims’ compensation programs being in place for nearly a half-century (National Association of Crime Victim Compensation Boards, 2012), little is known about the current state of these programs and their effectiveness. Most of the research on these programs was conducted in the 1980s and 1990s (for exceptions see Fritsch, Caeti, Tobolowsky, & Taylor, 2004; Kunst, 2011). As such, the current nature of victims’ compensation as well as how satisfied victims are with compensation and what may influence satisfaction is not fully known. To investigate these elements of victims’ compensation, the current study uses data from 500 victims' compensation applicants in Georgia. Findings and their implications for policy are discussed.

Authors

• Sadie J. Mummert, Indiana University of Pennsylvania

• Leah E. Daigle, Georgia State University