Justice after trauma? Race, red tape keep sexual assault victims from compensation
Feb 19, 2026
Bureaucratic hurdles and racial disparities restrict access to victim compensation for adult survivors of sexual assault, deepen justice system inequities and compound trauma. The absence of police verification of a crime is the primary reason for rejection, representing 34.4% of disapproved request
s—which account for roughly 8 out of every 100 applicants, according to a new University of Michigan study published in the American Journal of Public Health. ...read more read less