Compensation for a crime victim in the criminal proceeding
Compensation without a civil lawsuit
Section 77 of the Penal Law authorizes the criminal court, at sentencing, to order the convicted defendant to compensate the victim of the offense for the damage and suffering caused, up to a ceiling of about a quarter of a million shekels for each offense. The compensation is awarded as part of the sentence, without the need to file a civil claim, without fees, and without conducting a separate proceeding, and it is collected like a fine: through the Center for the Collection of Fines, using all the collection tools at its disposal.
What affects the amount of compensation?
The severity of the offense and the damage: physical, emotional, and financial; the documentation presented, medical documents, receipts, expert opinions, the victim's statement; and the sentencing policy in similar offenses. This is precisely where representation comes in: a victim who submits to the prosecution an organized and documented damages file, and ensures that their statement is heard at the sentencing arguments stage, receives significantly higher compensation than a victim who is forgotten in the background. In certain offenses, including offenses under the Prevention of Sexual Harassment Law, there is also a route for compensation without proof of damage in a civil proceeding, up to 120,000 shekels.
Criminal compensation is not the end of the road
Compensation awarded in the criminal proceeding does not bar a civil claim: the victim may sue for the full extent of their damages in a civil proceeding, in which the criminal conviction serves as almost conclusive evidence of liability (a "civil claim following a criminal conviction"), a particularly shortened and efficient route. The amount of the criminal compensation is offset from the civil compensation.
Representation of crime victims
Advocate Israel Arama, formerly of the Tel Aviv District Attorney's Office, secures for crime victims the full compensation: in the criminal proceeding, in the follow-on claim, and in the statutory routes. Contact us for an initial consultation without obligation.
Compensation without a civil claim — what is important to know?
Section 77 of the Penal Law authorizes the criminal court, at sentencing, to order the convicted defendant to compensate the victim of the offense for the damage and suffering caused, up to a ceiling of about a quarter of a million shekels for each offense. The compensation is awarded as part of the sentence, without the need to file a civil claim, without fees, and without conducting a separate proceeding, and it is collected like a fine: through the Center for the Collection of Fines, using all the collection tools at its disposal.
What affects the amount of compensation?
The severity of the offense and the damage: physical, emotional, and financial; the documentation presented, medical documents, receipts, expert opinions, the victim's statement; and the sentencing policy in similar offenses. This is precisely where representation comes in: a victim who submits to the prosecution an organized and documented damages file, and ensures that their statement is heard at the sentencing arguments stage, receives significantly higher compensation than a victim who is forgotten in the background. In certain offenses, including offenses under the Prevention of Sexual Harassment Law, there is also a route for compensation without proof of damage in a civil proceeding, up to 120,000 shekels.
Criminal compensation is not the end of the road — what is important to know?
Compensation awarded in the criminal proceeding does not bar a civil claim: the victim may sue for the full extent of their damages in a civil proceeding, in which the criminal conviction serves as almost conclusive evidence of liability (a "civil claim following a criminal conviction"), a particularly shortened and efficient route. The amount of the criminal compensation is offset from the civil compensation.
This information is for initial orientation about the service and contact process. It is not individual legal advice.
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