Victim Compensation

Crime Victim Compensation Fund

In 1986, the Arizona State Legislature established the Crime Victim Compensation Fund. ACJC, by statute, is directed to administer the fund and create and implement rules that guide the awarding of funds to victims of crime. Arizona is one of two states that utilize a decentralized model of administration of the Crime Victim Compensation Program.

Program

The Commission, each year, is required by the Crime Victim Compensation Program Rules to designate one operational unit in each county to receive a portion of the fund and to administer the program at the county level. Currently, the county attorney in each of the 15 counties is designated to assume the responsibility for the expenditure of the funds apportioned to the county. Funds are distributed to each county based upon a formula approved by the Commission.

Claims

Claims are filed by victims of criminally injurious conduct in the county where the crime occurred. A local operational unit, supervised by the county attorney, investigates each compensation claim. The claim is then presented to the county's Crime Victim Compensation Board for review. 

Boards

Each Board is comprised of appointed volunteers selected from citizens of the respective county. The Board determines the approval or denial of the compensation claim, in accordance with the Program Rules. Submitting an application for compensation does not guarantee an award, and awards are based on eligibility and funding availability. The maximum award of any single claim is $20,000.