Most states use penalties to fund their programs. Most programs also allow surviving dependents of such persons to recover in the event of the victim's death. These requirements largely limit the size of the pool of eligible recipients. Some programs deny or reduce recovery for those victims who share some of the responsibility for precipitating the crime. Evaluation From the outset, victims face a huge hurdle in receiving compensation.
Administrative policies seem to plague the programs.
In fact, many applicants are turned down because they fail to satisfy the documentation requirements. No appreciable, positive impact on victims seems to occur. Victims indicate no change in willingness to participate in the criminal justice system, and many express even more frustration as a result of the compensation documentation procedures than before they entered the application process. Those who are concerned that the costs of funding such a program could be astronomical might be placated by the aforementioned limited use of compensation. Moreover, in those cases where it would take years for offenders to pay back their victims, compensation funds could pay the victim immediately, and offenders would then pay into the fund.