Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme
If you have suffered a personal injury because of a violent crime or incident, you may be entitled to compensation under the Scheme.
Overview:
You can apply for compensation under the Jersey Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme (“the Scheme”) if you sustained in Jersey or on a Jersey ship personal injury directly attributable (a) to a crime of violence or (b) to an incident when you were trying to stop someone from committing a crime or when you were trying to apprehend a suspect after a crime or when you were trying to help the police apprehend someone. As a general rule accidental injury is not covered by the Scheme.
The injury must have been sustained on or after 1st May 1991 and application must be made to the Secretary at the address above within 3 years of the incident which gave rise to the injury. [See the attached “Guide” for possible exceptions].
Compensation is assessed on the basis of ‘common law’ damages, but the Scheme currently has a lower limit of £750 and a ‘ceiling’ or maximum limit of £100,000. The lower limit (below which no payment will be made) will usually apply when the injuries are of a minor nature, e.g. cuts and bruises or sprains.
The Board attaches great importance to the duty of every victim of a crime of violence to inform the police of all the circumstances without delay, and to co-operate with their enquiries and any subsequent prosecution. You need to be able to convince the Board that you were not in any way responsible for the incident in which you were injured, otherwise the Board may decide to make a reduced award or a nil award. The Board can also refuse compensation or reduce it on account of previous criminal convictions. There is no limit to the sort of “conduct” (bad conduct or misconduct, including provocative behaviour) that the Board can take into consideration. In particular, the Board will look very carefully at the circumstances to ensure that the applicant’s conduct “before, during or after the events giving rise to the claim” was not such that it would be inappropriate to make a payment from public funds.
If, after having studied the “Guide” to the Scheme, you consider that you may be eligible for compensation, please complete and submit an application form and any supporting documentation (including proof of identity, receipts, estimates, etc.). If you are unsure about your eligibility or how to fill-in the application form, please contact the Secretary at the address above for further advice and/or guidance.
Please refer to the attached “Guide” to the Scheme, and also to the attached Application Form - Injury, for full details:
Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme - Guide
Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme - Application form
Criminal Injuries Compensation Board Telephone: (01534) 441028
States Greffe, Morier House
Halkett Place, St. Helier Facsimile: (01534) 441098
JERSEY
JE1 1DD E-mail: StatesGreffe@gov.je
Channel Islands
Page Last Updated: 30/04/2008
