Victims of violent crimes in California who have suffered physical or emotional injuries have received restitution since 1965 under what’s known as a victim compensation program, the first of such in the nation. While all U.S. states now have similar programs, California recently updated its version.
Under the previous law, reimbursement—paid for by criminals and federal matching funds—for victim’s medical bills, wage loss, outpatient mental health treatment, counseling and more were covered for physical injuries. But those who only suffered psychologically—what lawmakers call an “emotional injury”—were not qualified unless suffering a handful of crimes.
