Safety net with holes? Programs to help crime victims can leave them fronting bills

AP May 17, 2023--Thousands of Americans each year turn to state-run programs that provide financial assistance to victims of violent crime

- Mike Catalini and Claudia Lauer

The money is used to help with funeral expenses, physical and emotional therapy, lost wages, crime scene cleanup, and more.

While interviewing people for a story on gun violence in Philadelphia, The Associated Press heard from the victim after victim that they had received a form letter denying them access to the funds. In many cases, the state said they or their loved one had contributed to their own victimization.

The AP sought to find out from the Pennsylvania program — and then programs in all 50 states and the District of Columbia — who was being denied aid and why. This week's article is the third in an occasional Associated Press series examining crime victim compensation programs.

To read parts one and two, https://apnews.com/article/victims-compensation-crime-racial-disparity00ff7bfa3f3263c3e2fef025450b8411

A look at the takeaways from the AP’s investigation. **********

AP July 25, 2023--Pamela White stared at the silver tree with twinkling lights while she cleaned out her son's apartment, wondering how in a matter of days she went from celebrating Christmas to having to think about headstones and burial plots.

Her son, Dararius Evans, was an Army reservist and veteran who had survived a deployment in Iraq. A few days after Christmas 2019, the 28-year-old was killed in a shooting outside of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The shooter was sentenced to life in prison last year.

White and her family, who live outside of New Orleans, turned to Louisiana's victim compensation board for help paying for the unexpected funeral. She was met with administrative hurdles, a denial that blamed her son for his own death, and a lengthy appeal — all while paying up front through a personal loan that gathered interest as she waited.