California ‘failing victims’ of violent crime as financial support plummets
Summary
California’s Victim Compensation Board (CalVCB) has been giving less money and denying more applications to victims of violent crime, even though the program’s budget has grown. Many victims struggle to get help because they don’t know about the program or face difficult rules, and the number of people denied support has doubled since 2019.Key Facts
- California started the first victims’ compensation program in the U.S. in 1965 to help victims of violent crime.
- Since 2019, CalVCB’s payouts dropped from $65 million to about $50 million in the 2024-2025 fiscal year.
- Denied applications nearly doubled from about 5,000 in 2019 to over 10,000 in 2024.
- CalVCB’s overall budget increased from $56 million in 2019 to nearly $80 million in 2022 and stayed there.
- Most denials happen because applicants do not submit required documents on time.
- New application processes, introduced to handle more applicants, have resulted in more denials.
- Some victims are unaware of the program or stop applying because of the complicated process or bad experiences with denials.
- Rules require applicants to cooperate with police and not be on parole or probation for violent crimes, which can exclude some victims.
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