Editor’s note: The Frontier is looking back at some of its most memorable stories of the past decade as it celebrates its 10th anniversary this year.
Funding for a state program that gives money to crime victims has continued to decline over the past several years and a growing percentage of people who apply for payments are rejected, data shows.
Revenue for the program declined 27% between the 2017 and 2024 fiscal years and the amount paid to crime victims decreased 44% during that time.
When The Frontier first reported on the Oklahoma Crime Victims’ Compensation Fund in 2019, state officials were concerned they would soon face a funding shortfall.
Funding for the program relies heavily on fees collected from people convicted of crimes. Voters had just passed State Question 780, a citizen-led ballot measure that reclassified several felony property and drug crimes as misdemeanors. The measure resulted in less money from court fees to compensate victims, since fees that go into a fund for victims are much less in misdemeanor cases than for felonies.
But that’s not the whole story, said Michael Olson, policy counsel for the advocacy group Oklahomans for Criminal Justice Reform, which campaigned for the state question. Olson said while the ballot measure has had the intended effect of reducing the number of felony and misdemeanor charges filed against people in Oklahoma, it has also likely resulted in less funds going to the state’s Victims Compensation program.
Though the Crime Victims’ Compensation Program continues to provide payments to thousands of victims of crimes in Oklahoma each year, the latest numbers show it is taking in significantly less money compared to past years.
The Crime Victims Compensation Program brought in around $5.5 million during the 2024 fiscal year, compared to $7.5 million in 2018, according to the most recent figures available. Revenue from court-ordered fines and fees declined from $4 million to $3.2 million during that time. The program paid out more than $2.9 million to victims of violent crime in 2024, down from $5.2 million in 2018.
While the number of people who apply to the program has fallen significantly over the past several years, the denial rate also increased, records show. There were 1,210 applications in the 2024 fiscal year compared to 1,521 in fiscal year 2017, with an application rejection rate of about 52% in 2017 compared to a rejection rate of around 58% in 2024, the records show.
Since The Frontier’s original 2019 stories, the program has continued to evolve, said Damon Gardenhire, senior communications and public affairs advisor for the Oklahoma District Attorneys Council.
“While the program remains governed by state and federal law, several key reforms have expanded eligibility windows, improved access, and clarified standards,” Gardenhire said. “What hasn’t changed is that each claim is reviewed on its own merits, based strictly on statute, not on available funding.”
The Legislature passed a bill this session to prioritize court-ordered restitution payments before any other fines and fees. The bill is awaiting a signature from the governor before it becomes law. The restitution funds often go to the Crime Victims Compensation Program to reimburse the fund for payouts already made to the victims of the crime, Olsen said.
“As it stands now, these financial obligations are split up, having people paying fines/fees and restitution simultaneously, which leads to a situation where there are millions of dollars that are not being collected for victims because individuals cannot pay,” Olson said.
Another law enacted in 2023 extended the time crime victims can apply for compensation from one year to 30 months and increased the maximum total “economic loss” award to victims from $40,000 to $50,000. Also in 2023, another bill raised the maximum amount the program can pay for sexual assault examinations from $450 to $800 and the maximum payment amount for medications for sexual assault victims from $50 to $100.
The Victims Compensation Program has also enacted several changes intended to make the program more accessible and responsive Gardenhire said, including the launch of an online application portal and a new provision allowing benefits for suicide attempts linked to prior violent victimization in some cases. Gardenhire said work is continuing to improve the program’s clarity of instructions, enable mobile access and simplify the application process.
Because the Victims Compensation Program was intended to be the payer of last resort, crime victims who have access to other resources like private insurance, Medicaid, workers’ compensation or employer-paid leave must first exhaust those options before being eligible for the program.
Most claims denied over the past four years were denied because the applicants were ineligible under state law, Gardenhire said. During the 2023 fiscal year, nearly 87% of denied claims were denied because they were filed on behalf of an offender or victims of crimes who don’t qualify to collect payments.
Gardenhire said the program’s declining revenue is a reflection of long-term structural shifts, including fewer chargeable offenses after the passage of State Question 780, greater use of judicial discretion to waive or reduce fines and fees and less grant funds from the Federal Victims of Crime Act.
The rise of private crowdfunding platforms, such as GoFundMe, has also led many people to use those platforms to fundraise to help cover expenses, rather than applying to the program, he said.
The District Attorneys Council “continues to refine program access through improved outreach and service delivery,” Gardenhire said. “We’re committed to ensuring every eligible victim receives timely support, and we continue to voice the need for resources and reforms that reflect the realities victims face today.”
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