Minnesota Crime Victim Reparations and the Police Report Requirement: How tying crime victim compensation to the criminal justice system limits access for victims of diverse backgrounds
2021-08
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Minnesota Crime Victim Reparations and the Police Report Requirement: How tying crime victim compensation to the criminal justice system limits access for victims of diverse backgrounds
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2021-08
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The Crime Victim Reparations Board (CVR) is an Office of Justice Program within the Minnesota Department of Public Safety that provides financial compensation to victims of private crimes to cover incurred costs resulting in injury or death. The program determines eligibility of applicants through requirements written into state statute. If accepted, applicants can receive coverage for common costs incurred due to the crime. Literature on victim compensation programs shows that victims encounter potential barriers in accessing compensation due to eligibility requirements outlined in the application and determined by state law. One of the key criteria of program eligibility is making a report to law enforcement, in most cases within 30 days of the crime. This requirement has existed since the inception of CVR, linking compensation directly to the criminal justice system. However, racial justice advocates have gained more public support recently by calling attention to the systemic racial inequalities ingrained in the criminal justice system, including bias and a documented lack of trauma informed approach in law enforcement response. Many victim advocates, who serve survivors of gender-based violence, have joined the racial justice movement, recognizing that their antiviolence work is intersectional in dismantling multiple systems of oppression, as well as questioning their own place as liaisons to the criminal justice system. Utilizing analysis from these anti-racist, feminist, and anti-carceral movements and applying it to data gathered from victim advocates and system professionals in Minnesota via individual interviews, I explore the impact of this requirement for victims of diverse identities in accessing compensation and propose that the Minnesota CVR program allow the requirement to be waived. I end with a series of recommendations to solidify this waiver into policy and Minnesota statute.
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Professional paper for the fulfillment of the Master of Public Policy degree.
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Vraney, Chloe. (2021). Minnesota Crime Victim Reparations and the Police Report Requirement: How tying crime victim compensation to the criminal justice system limits access for victims of diverse backgrounds. Retrieved from the University Digital Conservancy, https://hdl.handle.net/11299/229864.
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