All 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands operate victim compensation programs. These programs are funded in part by federal funds through the Crime Victims Fund, which was established through the Victims of Crime Act of 1984.  Most victim compensation programs are administered through each state's attorneys general's office.

Victim compensation programs have a maximum amount that can be paid for each claim, which varies from state to state and can range from $10,000 to $100,000. For example, most states allow a claim of no more than $3,000 for funeral expenses. In addition, for many states, the maximum total recovery amount cannot exceed $25,000.

Compensation programs provide financial assistance to victims for nearly every type of violent crime, including rape, robbery, assault, sexual abuse, drunken driving, and domestic violence. The programs pay for expenses such as medical and dental expenses, counseling costs, lost wages or support, and, in cases of homicide, funerals and burial expenses. With a few exceptions, however, they do not cover lost, stolen, or damaged property. Most programs cover a basic core of offenses, although eligibility requirements and specific benefits of compensation programs vary somewhat by state.

States have passed many laws that protect the rights of crime victims. Thirty-two states have included crime victims’ rights in their state constitutions. The scope of these victim rights' amendments varies by state. Many are limited to victims of felonies or victims of violent offenses, and a few include victims of juvenile offenders. Most give the legislature final authority to define the scope of the amendment. Crime victims have several "core" rights, including:

• The right to attend criminal justice proceedings;
• The right to apply for compensation;
• The right to be heard and to participate in criminal justice proceedings;
• The right to be informed of proceedings and events in the criminal justice process, of legal rights and remedies, and of available services;
• The right to protection from intimidation and harassment;
• The right to restitution from the offender;
• The right to prompt return of personal property seized as evidence;
• The right to a speedy trial; and
• The right to enforcement of these rights.

A victim impact statement is when a victim, victim's family, or both are given the opportunity to give an oral or written statement addressing the impact a crime had on them before a defendant is sentenced or paroled. Victim impact statements are most commonly used at sentencing hearings. The court may consider these statements in determining the appropriate sentence for a defendant.  The right to present victim impact information is usually guaranteed by law; however, in some states discretion is given to the judge or other officials.

The right to be heard at key stages of the justice and corrections processes has, historically, been one of the key tenets of the victims' rights discipline. When victims were asked to rate the importance of various victim rights, over 80 percent stated that their ability to make a victim impact statement at sentencing and at parole was "very important." (Source: Ellen Alexander and Janice H. Lord, "A Victim's Right to Speak . . . A Nation's Responsibility to Listen," National Center for Victims of Crime, 1994).