Sec. 54-215. Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund. - Connecticut Statutes

      Sec. 54-215. Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund. (a) The Office of Victim Services shall establish a Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund for the purpose of funding the compensation and restitution services provided for by sections 54-201 to 54-233, inclusive. The fund may contain any moneys required by law to be deposited in the fund and shall be held by the Treasurer separate and apart from all other moneys, funds and accounts. The interest derived from the investment of the fund shall be credited to the fund. Amounts in the fund may be expended only pursuant to appropriation by the General Assembly. Any balance remaining in the fund at the end of any fiscal year shall be carried forward in the fund for the fiscal year next succeeding.

      (b) The cost paid into court under section 54-143 shall be deposited in the General Fund and shall be credited to and become a part of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund. Any restitution collected by the Court Support Services Division pursuant to section 46b-140, 53a-30 or 54-56e which is not disbursed within five years after the date such restitution is collected, because the victim could not be located, shall be deposited in the Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund. Any restitution collected pursuant to section 46b-140 or 54-56e on or before May 8, 1997, that has not been disbursed as of October 1, 2003, shall be deposited in the fund. If payment is awarded under section 54-210 and thereafter the court orders the defendant in the criminal case from which such injury or death resulted to make restitution, any money collected as restitution shall be paid to the fund unless the court directs otherwise. The Office of Victim Services may apply for and receive moneys for the fund from any federal, state or private source.

      (c) Any administrative costs related to the operation of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Fund, including credits to and payments of compensation therefrom, shall be paid from the fund. Administrative costs of providing direct services, the proportionate share of any fixed costs associated with such services, the costs of providing direct services to victims and witnesses of crimes in accordance with subdivision (6) of subsection (b) of section 54-203, and any services offered by the Office of Victim Services to witnesses and victims of crime may be budgeted for payment from the fund.

      (P.A. 78-261, S. 16, 17; P.A. 79-505, S. 2, 7; P.A. 80-390, S. 3, 5; P.A. 82-397, S. 6, 7; P.A. 86-312, S. 13, 21; P.A. 87-554, S. 14; P.A. 92-153, S. 5; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-14, S. 6, 11; P.A. 93-310, S. 13, 32; P.A. 97-59, S. 3, 4; P.A. 02-132, S. 50; P.A. 03-189, S. 3; 03-278, S. 112.)

      History: P.A. 79-505 added reference to restitution services and deleted provision requiring termination of fund on June 30, 1979, and transfer of remaining moneys to general fund; P.A. 80-390 deleted specific reference to ten-dollar cost under Sec. 54-143, that amount having been increased and specified that costs of services to witnesses and crime victims are to be paid from fund; P.A. 82-397 included cost of encouraging volunteer activities on board's behalf as administrative cost and required board to invest balance of fund in short term investment fund, with any interest earned deposited in criminal injuries compensation fund, effective July 1, 1983; P.A. 86-312 changed criminal injuries compensation "fund" to a separate nonlapsing "account" within the general fund; P.A. 87-554 changed "board" to "commission" and authorized commission to apply for and receive state funds; P.A. 92-153 changed "account" to "fund" and provided that amounts in fund may be expended only pursuant to appropriation by the general assembly, and deleted costs of volunteer activities and costs of services to witnesses and victims of crime from payments to be made from the fund; May Sp. Sess. P.A. 92-14 added provision that administrative costs of direct services and proportionate share of fixed costs for such services to witnesses and victims of crime may be paid from the fund; P.A. 93-310 changed "commission on victim services" to "office of victim services", effective July 1, 1993; (Revisor's note: In 1995, a reference to "said account" was changed editorially by the Revisors to "said fund" to reflect the changes enacted by P.A. 92-153); P.A. 97-59 added provision re deposit into fund of restitution collected by Office of Adult Probation and not disbursed to victim and added provision re payment of costs of providing direct services to victims and witnesses of crime from fund, effective May 8, 1997; P.A. 02-132 replaced "Office of Adult Probation" with "Court Support Services Division" and made technical changes; P.A. 03-189 divided existing provisions into Subsecs. (a) to (c), added provisions re restitution collected pursuant to Secs. 46b-140 and 54-56e, re deposit of such restitution into the fund and re disbursement within five years after the date restitution is collected in Subsec. (b) and made technical changes; P.A. 03-278 made technical changes, effective July 9, 2003.