What Did You Experience?
Eligibility
Crime Victims and Policies in Illinois
There are many ways in which laws in Illinois define a crime victim. They are primarily defined by:
- The crime that happened to them.
- Crime victims are people who are killed or injured in Illinois as a result of violent crime. Crime victims may suffer psychological harm as a result of real or perceived threat from an abuser. They are also people who suffer abuse, neglect, or extortion by caretakers or in residential facilities. In the “POLICIES” tab, you can find links to the policies in Illinois intended to support crime victims. At the beginning of each policy, find the “Definition” section to see how each policy defines who is a “crime victim”
- Crime Type: Crime victims may be defined in policy by the violence they survived. These crimes typically include but are not limited to: arson, assault, battery, child pornography, criminal sexual abuse, criminal sexual assault, domestic battery, driving under the influence, child exploitation, hate crimes, homicide, human trafficking, stalking, and violations of protective orders.
- Their relationship to the survivor.
- In many Illinois policies, crime victims family members of those were were directly impacted. Family members include spouses, parents, or children of a person killed or injured in Illinois as a result of violent crime, and in some cases extended kinship networks.
- Witnesses of a violent crime or people who testify in a criminal proceeding are frequently recognized as crime victims as well.
Steps Required
Enacting Rights and Accessing Services
- For most of the policies and services listed, there are certain stakeholders who are statutorily required to inform survivors of these supports. These stakeholders include law enforcement, hospital personnel, and social service providers among others.
- Unfortunately, many survivors are unaware that these rights and supports are available.
- Furthermore, in order to enact one’s right to support or access services, many policies require survivors to follow certain steps:
- Typically, survivors are required to report what happened to law enforcement. Police reports are frequently used to verify that a crime event occurred. Many crime survivors do not report what occurred to the police out of concerns for safety and retaliation among other reasons. For most programs, not reporting to the police does not automatically exclude one from receiving support.
- One’s country of origin and citizenship status does not exclude one from receiving support
- One’s past or current contact with the criminal legal system does not automatically exclude one from receiving support
- Survivors may need to fill out applications to receive services, provide financial records of any pecuniary loss that occurred as a result of victimization, or furnish medical records. This process can be confusing and difficult, especially if one is coping with trauma in the aftermath of violence. Victim advocates are available to accompany and assist survivors through this process.
- If a survivor is denied a service or support, there is almost always an opportunity to submit an appeal (i.e. request for one’s case to be reconsidered). Victim advocates can assist with this process.
- If you have ideas or suggestions as to how survivors can more easily access services and enact their rights in Illinois, please email Dr. Bocanegra with your recommendations at ksacla2@uic.edu
When you click on the “NEEDS” tab, you will see there are some State policies specially designated to support a particular group of survivors. These groups include children, immigrants, survivors of sexual violence and human trafficking, survivors of family violence and domestic violence, survivors who identify as Indigenous, Native American, or Alaska Natives, and elderly survivors.
Review Your Rights
As a survivor of violence in Illinois, these are your rights on both a state and federal level.
What Do You Need?
As a survivor of violence in Illinois, you may be eligible for support with financial needs, housing, medical costs, mental health services, funeral or burial costs, relocation costs, and more. Based on what happened to you, you may be eligible for different services and supports. Click here to see which policies can provide access to these supports.
Eligibility and Access
Policies outlining rights and services afforded to crime victims often involve definitions of who is considered a victim and what they must do to access services. Read through this section to better understand how to navigate policies intended to support survivors.
Illinois Policies
Here you can find a complete listing of Illinois policies related to services or supports available to crime victims. Each of these policies that enables access to services has eligibility requirements. Please use the hyperlinks available to review the eligibility requirements.