The Illinois Crime Victims Compensation Act is supposed to offer assistance to victims and families affected by severe crimes. Yet, there are a ton of flaws in its eligibility requirements and the investigation process.
According to the State of Illinois’ website, through this act, the Court of Claims administers funding to victims of violent crimes who have inadequate insurance or no source of funds to cover expenses resulting from a crime. It was established in 1973, intending to reduce financial burdens. This includes medical bills, counseling, lost wages, and more. However, to be eligible, you must report the crime within 72 hours, seven days for sexual violence, cooperate with law enforcement, and ‘not provoke the crime.’ Victims or families must also complete and apply within five years.
Crimes that are covered by the act include domestic violence, sexual assault and abuse, homicide, human trafficking, kidnapping, and more. Still, many victims are being denied so much that they don’t even bother to apply anymore. If they’re one of the few lucky applicants awarded, they receive significantly less than needed or had to wait years for help.
On August 7, 2022, the Crime Victims Compensation Act increased its award cap to $45,000 for uncovered expenses. Yet, few who are awarded haven’t even seen close to its original $27,000 cap, and its investigation process does more harm than good.
In 2021, NBC 5 reported that only a third of crime victims apply, and there’s a four-in- 10 chance of them receiving any money, assuming they’ve had the patience to sit through the cumbersome process. “This is a program that historically had many problems,” John Maki, a director with the Illinois Alliance for Safety and Justice, told NBC 5. “Historically, it has re-victimized people and re-traumatized people. This program can seem like an audit, like an inquiry into the victim’s life, and when someone has been victimized, lost a loved one, to repeatedly asked what happened to you, to ask if you’re at fault.”
NBC 5 also spoke with a hit and run victim who applied for compensation and was met with hostility. “I would say most of the people I talked to on the phone were borderline hostile,” the victim said. He received $9,440.17 a year and a half later but needed $5,000 more for physical therapy.
As violent crimes in Illinois continue to rise, victims and families seek new ways to get assistance.
Blavity U Ambassador Lashaunta Moore is a graduate student at Columbia College Chicago, studying entrepreneurship for creatives. Moore has a bachelor’s degree in media communication, and she’s also a freelance journalist and digital content producer.
