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Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA)
[01.06.12] |
 The Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority (CICA) is a government organisation which is designed to offer compensation to any blameless individual who has been the victim of a crime which has left them either mentally or physically injured. The site was originally located at www.cica.gov.uk but has since been swallowed up by the www.justice.gov.uk behemoth.
The amounts of compensation vary depending on the type of injury, but victims could receive between £1,000 and £500,000 from this free service.
According to figures revealed under the Freedom of Information Act there were more than £5 million worth of claims made in Suffolk alone during the four years to 2012. Of the 774 claims, 138 involved payments for the sexual abuse, indecent assault and physical abuse of children. This category accounted for the highest number of claims. Other claims included those for sexual assault and physical attacks.
The average payout was just £10,000 in Suffolk, while the national total payout was £200 million.
Simon Davis from the solicitors firm Ashton KCJ has stated that while the number and overall value of compensation claims made is quite high, the amounts paid are substantially less than could be gained from taking the case to court. He points out that in the most serious cases, victims could receive several millions.
The reason for the low payments is the system of tariffs run by CICA. The minimum amount which can be applied for is £1,000, which means that minor crimes will not be dealt with under the scheme. The CICA offers a basic award which reflects the type of injury suffered. In addition, special compensation is offered based on the loss of the victim in terms of their ability to work or other expenses they may have had to cover during their rehabilitation.
The work-based compensation is not offered until the victim has been unable to work for 28 weeks or more and special expenses cover any medical procedures which cannot be carried out under the NHS. Adaptations to the victims home may also be covered under the scheme.
Clearly with these restrictions, many victims find that they receive a relatively small award. Many choose to take their case to court to ask for a higher compensation amount. Personal injury lawyers are able to help achieve substantially higher amounts directly from the perpetrator. This is only suitable if the offender has the ability to pay.
For those who choose to go to CICA, it is important to ensure that they are eligible for the compensation before they apply. CICA say that victims must be eligible for at least the lowest award of £1,000, the act must have taken place in England, Wales or Scotland and the incident took place within the last two years.
Those who were injured before 1964 or have already applied for compensation cannot claim. In addition those who were injured outside of the UK cannot claim compensation under this scheme.
CICA reserve the right to reduce or refuse a claim if they discover that the victim has a criminal record, have failed to cooperate with the police or CICA or they did not tell the authorities about the incident in good time.
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