California has paid out more than $1.5 billion to some 900,000 crime victims since 1965
Article Launched: 08/17/2005 07:19:51 AM
Victory for victims
For 40 years, state has helped them recover
California made history 40 years ago when it become the first state in the nation to provide financial compensation for victims of violent crimes.
At the time, California was spending millions on incarcerating inmates, but nothing on the victims of those crimes, pointed out state Sen. Eugene McAteer, who wrote the 1965 victim compensation law.
Only governments in New Zealand and Britain had implemented similar programs. But today, it is a well-established practice across the United States.
California has paid out more than $1.5 billion to some 900,000 crime victims since 1965, and has established itself as the third largest program in the world.
In 2003-04, Solano County received 756 applications for help from victims of violent crime and their families and awarded $590,560 in restitution. Statewide during the same time period, 50,000 victims and family members were helped with awards totaling $67 million.
That money was used to pay for medical and dental expenses, mental health counseling, lost wages, job retraining, and even funeral and burial expenses.
Where does the money come from? The offenders themselves who are ordered to pay fines and penalty assessments directly into California's Restitution Fund.
In addition to more than $38 million in collected at the local level last year, the California Department of Corrections collected $11.4 million from inmates and the California Youth Authority collected nearly $400,000 from its wards.
Advocates throughout the state are there to help victims navigate the criminal justice system and direct them to a variety of resources, including payment through the Victim Compensation Program.
The program has made a difference in the lives of the broken and battered for 40 years, and the future looks bright, with a dedicated team working at the state's 100 victim assistance centers scattered throughout California's 58 counties. (Solano County's Victim Witness Assistance Center can be reached at 784-6844.)
Not only is the program self-sustaining and comprehensive, it is compassionate, offering hope for healing. Thanks to the Victim Compensation Program, families in Solano County and throughout the state have been able to rebuild, restore and return to productive lives.
Victory for victims
For 40 years, state has helped them recover
California made history 40 years ago when it become the first state in the nation to provide financial compensation for victims of violent crimes.
At the time, California was spending millions on incarcerating inmates, but nothing on the victims of those crimes, pointed out state Sen. Eugene McAteer, who wrote the 1965 victim compensation law.
Only governments in New Zealand and Britain had implemented similar programs. But today, it is a well-established practice across the United States.
California has paid out more than $1.5 billion to some 900,000 crime victims since 1965, and has established itself as the third largest program in the world.
In 2003-04, Solano County received 756 applications for help from victims of violent crime and their families and awarded $590,560 in restitution. Statewide during the same time period, 50,000 victims and family members were helped with awards totaling $67 million.
That money was used to pay for medical and dental expenses, mental health counseling, lost wages, job retraining, and even funeral and burial expenses.
Where does the money come from? The offenders themselves who are ordered to pay fines and penalty assessments directly into California's Restitution Fund.
In addition to more than $38 million in collected at the local level last year, the California Department of Corrections collected $11.4 million from inmates and the California Youth Authority collected nearly $400,000 from its wards.
Advocates throughout the state are there to help victims navigate the criminal justice system and direct them to a variety of resources, including payment through the Victim Compensation Program.
The program has made a difference in the lives of the broken and battered for 40 years, and the future looks bright, with a dedicated team working at the state's 100 victim assistance centers scattered throughout California's 58 counties. (Solano County's Victim Witness Assistance Center can be reached at 784-6844.)
Not only is the program self-sustaining and comprehensive, it is compassionate, offering hope for healing. Thanks to the Victim Compensation Program, families in Solano County and throughout the state have been able to rebuild, restore and return to productive lives.
posted by Solano EDC at 9:16 AM
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