Crime victims.

Existing law provides for the compensation of victims and derivative victims of specified types of crimes by the California Victim Compensation and Government Claims Board from the Restitution Fund, a continuously appropriated fund, for specified losses suffered as a result of those crimes. Existing law sets forth eligibility requirements and specified limits on the amount of compensation the board may award. Existing law provides that an application for compensation may be denied if the board finds that denial is appropriate because of the nature of the victim's or other applicant's involvement in the events leading to the crime or the involvement of the person whose injury or death gives rise to the application. This bill would, notwithstanding those provisions, prohibit an application for compensation from being denied based upon the applicant's involvement in events leading up to the crime if the applicant was the victim of sexual assault or domestic violence, as described in specified provisions. Existing law prohibits a person who is convicted of a felony from being granted compensation until that person has been discharged from probation or has been released from a correctional institution and has been discharged from parole, if any. Existing law also prohibits compensation from being granted to an applicant during any period of time the applicant is held in a correctional institution. Existing law also requires applications of victims who are not felons to receive priority in the award of compensation over an application submitted by a felon. This bill would exclude persons who are victims of sexual assault or domestic violence, as described in specified provisions, from these provisions.