Despite filing more claims, Black families are more likely to be denied support from victim compensation programs than White families, according to a new study led by scholars at Rutgers University’s New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center.
In 1984, the Victims of Crime Act established victim compensation programs to support victims and families of violent crime. These programs provide compensation to cover expenses such as medical care, counseling, funeral costs, relocation, and lost wages. To determine the prevalence of racial disparities in approval of victim compensation claims, the study authors analyzed nearly 60,000 claims submitted by families of homicide victims across 18 states from 2015 to 2023.
According to their research, the authors found families of Black homicide victims file the most compensation claims, but have lower approval rates than families of White victims. This disparity was particularly pronounced among denials attributed to “contributory misconduct,” an assessment commonly made by law enforcement that determines the deceased was engaged in the conduct that led to their victimization.
The authors believe these findings provide evidence that racially biased judgements are embedded in the compensation review process and suggest an urgent need to revise the compensation guidelines outlined in the Victims of Crime Act.
In addition to those from Rutgers, the study included authors from the University of Michigan and the University of Toronto.
It is unfortunate to see the murder rate so high in the black community. Knowing how it can affect many people, like the victims’ relatives, makes you wonder what more can be done to stop these tragedies from occurring. From my own research, I have found a few things that would improve the situation. One would be for the black community to make more effort to keep families together, where children can grow up with a mother and a father in the house. Doesn’t everyone know this by now? After you have children, you just have to do what is best for your family and always looking to blame others for your own shortcoming in life will never solve anything. Being denied compensation in these situations might be a reflection of others perceiving blacks to always be ready to take advantage of free benefits that our society provides, but those benefits are intended to be for those who make the effort to raise their children with the values that help them mature, and learn how to work with others even if they have disagreements.
Thomas J. Rickert
Purdue University