Performance Evaluations and Victim Satisfaction With State Compensation for Violent Crime: A Prospective Study

Abstract

Satisfaction with a particular good or service represents an affective state in response to an individual's evaluation of the performance of that good or service. This evaluation involves a comparison between perceived actual performance and prior expectations. The current study used this theoretical idea to study violent crime victims' levels of satisfaction with services provided by a Dutch state compensation scheme. One hundred and seventy-seven victims of violent crime who had applied for compensation from the Dutch Violent Offences Compensation Fund (DVOCF) participated in two brief telephone interviews: one before receipt of the fund's decision upon their request for compensation and one after receipt of that decision. Based on the theories of distributive and procedural justice, measurement of prior expectations was differentiated in expectations about receipt of compensation, treatment by fund workers, and information provision. Results suggested that satisfaction with the DVOCF depended on fulfillment of expectations about treatment by fund workers and information provision, but not on fulfillment of expectations about receipt of compensation. Other predictors of victim satisfaction were as follows: duration of the application procedure, approval upon request for compensation, and satisfaction assessed during the first interview. Results were discussed in light of theory, policy implications, study limitations, and future research.

Supporting Rape Survivors Through the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme: An Exploration of English and Welsh Independent Sexual Violence Advisors’ Experiences

“…It may also explain why only an estimated average of 16% 6 of clients applied for compensation. While seemingly low, however, this is actually higher than the estimated 5% of eligible victims thought to claim compensation in the United Kingdom (Committee of Public Accounts, 2008) and is closer to the high uptake rate of 20% in the Netherlands (Kunst, Koster, & van Heugten, 2015). It is unclear why this might be, but could relate to having ISVAs provide information and support, especially in light of clients' initially limited awareness.…”

US law enforcement’s role in victim compensation dissemination

“…She further argues that victims view compensation as a symbolic acknowledgement of their loss and suffering. A study conducted in the Netherlands supported the idea that victim satisfaction with the justice system partly depends on whether compensation was received (Kunst et al, 2017). In a study of Israeli victims, Aviv and Weisburd (2016) found that victims tend to hold more negative attitudes toward the police than the general population, but they argue that this gap can be overcome by police efforts to address the needs and rights of victims.…”

Recognition, reconnection, and renewal

“…Victims’ satisfaction was also related to the fact that their request was approved, but it was not related to the amount they received or their evaluations of it. The authors interpret the latter finding as reinforcing Mulder (2013): it is not so much the amount of money but ‘some kind of recognition for the harm suffered’ (Kunst et al, 2017: 3036).…”

“…The amount of money a victim received did not relate to either dimension. Kunst et al (2017) investigated how satisfaction with the services provided by the Dutch Fund may be mediated by victims' prior expectations of how they would be treated and what they might receive. Victims were interviewed by phone before and after they had received the money.…”