Racial Disparities in Victim Compensation Among Homicide Survivors in the United States

Abstract

This study investigates racial disparities in victim compensation among families of homicide victims across 18 U.S. states from 2015 to 2023. Using individual-level administrative data and national expenditure records, we find that families of Black homicide victims file more claims than any other group but have lower approval rates than families of White victims. We document statistically significant racial disparities in claim approvals, even after controlling for gender, state, and application year. The disparity is especially pronounced in denials attributed to “contributory misconduct,” a discretionary determination made largely by law enforcement assessing whether the deceased was engaged in conduct, broadly defined, that may have contributed to their victimization. Contributory misconduct accounted for nearly one-third of all denials, and families of Black victims comprised 57% of such denials despite accounting for only 46% of claims. Our findings show that this mechanism, alongside others such as incomplete applications and statutory ineligibility, disproportionately impacts Black families. These patterns suggest that discretionary and potentially racially biased judgments embedded in the compensation process can exacerbate structural inequalities in access to victim services. Our findings support recent but withdrawn proposals to revise the federal Victims of Crime Act Compensation Guidelines.