A Transatlantic Perspective on the Compensation of Crime Victims in the United States

Lawmakers in the United States have enacted legislation providing for financial assistance to victims of crime since 1965, when the California State Legislature enacted the first state program. 1 The first attempt to secure similar legislation on the federal level was also made in 1965.However, that bill, like many subsequent proposals, failed to secure the support of both Houses of Congress. 2By 1982, just over two-thirds of the states had adopted compensation programs of one kind or another, but Congress had still failed to pass legislation on this matter. 3 Eventually, the President's Task Force on Victims of Crime reviewed the developments in the states and reached the following conclusion:[S]ubstantial progress has been made by many states in their attempts to compensate crime victims ....