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Crime Victim Compensation Program

Overview

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.

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 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. 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.

Eligibility

The general criteria for eligibility are as follows:

The victim is victimized in Arizona, or is an Arizona resident who is victimized in U.S. territory that lacks a crime victim compensation program, or is a victim of international terrorism.
The crime is reported to a police agency within 72 hours of the discovery of the crime unless good cause is shown to justify a delay.
An application is filed within two years of the discovery of the crime, in the county in which the crime occurred, unless good cause is shown to justify a delay.
The victim or derivative victim willingly cooperates with law enforcement agencies.
The victim or a derivative victim suffers physical injury or extreme mental distress as a direct result of the criminally injurious conduct.
The victim or derivative victims incurs economic loss as a direct result of the crime that is not covered by a benefit or advantage that the person is entitled to receive from a collateral source.

Covered Expenses

The Crime Victim Compensation Program can cover crime-related expenses for:

Medical Costs
Mental Health Counseling (up to 36 months)
Funerals (up to $5,000)
Wage Loss (pays at minimum wage and requires sick and vacation leave be used first)
Crime Scene Clean-up

The Compensation Program cannot cover:

Attorney Fees
Property Loss or Repair
Pain and Suffering
Victimization of a person serving a sentence of imprisonment or who has escaped imprisonment in a detention facility, home arrest, or work furlough program.

Awards may be reduced or denied in the following situations:

The victim or derivative victim recouped the economic loss from a collateral source.
The victim bears some degree of responsibility for the cause of injury or death through negligence or intentional unlawful conduct, if that conduct substantially provoked or aggravated the incident causing the injury or death.
The victim has not fully cooperated with the appropriate law enforcement agency.
Compensation program funds are insufficient to make an award.

County Victim Compensation Contact Information

For further information or specific questions relating to a claim submitted, please call the Crime Victim Compensation Program in the county where the crime occurred. Completed Victim Compensation applications can be mailed to the address listed under the specific county where the crime occured.

Apache County Attorney's Office
P.O. Box 637
St. Johns, AZ 85936
(928) 337-7560 Mohave County Attorney's Office
Crime Victim Compensation Program
P.O. Box 7000
Kingman, AZ 86402-7000
(928) 718-4967

Cochise County Attorney's Office
Victims Witness Program
P.O. Drawer CA
Bisbee, AZ 85603
(520) 432-8700 Navajo County Attorney's Office
Navajo County Victims Services
P.O. Box 668
Holbrook, AZ 86025
(928) 524-4015

Victim/Witness Services for Coconino County
Coconino County Crime Victim Compensation Board
5200 E. Courtland Blvd. Suite B-5
Flagstaff, AZ 86004
(928) 779-6163 Pima County Attorney's Office
Pima County Crime Victim Compensation Program
32 N. Stone Ave., 14th Floor
Tucson, AZ 85701
(520) 740-5525

Gila County Attorney's Office
Victim Services Unit
1400 E. Ash Street
Globe, AZ 85501
(928) 402-8836 Pinal County Attorney's Office
Pinal County Crime Victim Compensation Program
P.O. Box 1798
Florence, AZ 85232
(520) 866-6271

Graham County Attorney's Office
Victim/Witness Program
800 West Main Street
Safford, AZ 85546
(928) 428-4787 Santa Cruz County Attorney's Office
2150 N. Congress Dr., Suite 201
Nogales, AZ 85621
(520) 281-5868

Greenlee County Attorney's Office
P.O. Box 1717
Clifton, AZ 85533
(928) 865-4108 Yavapai County Attorney's Office
Victim Compensation
255 E. Gurley St., 1st Floor
Prescott, AZ 86301
(928) 771-3485

La Paz County Attorney's Office
1320 Kofa Avenue
Parker, AZ 85344
(928) 669-6118 Yuma County Attorney's Office
Yuma Victim Services Division
250 W. 2nd Street, Suite G
Yuma, AZ 85364
(928) 817-4300

Maricopa County Attorney's Office
Victim Compensation Bureau
301 W. Jefferson, 9th Floor
Phoenix, AZ 85003
(602) 506-4955