THIRTY years ago, Congress passed the Victims of Crime Act, which directed money from fines and fees paid by criminal offenders to programmes designed to help their victims. ...

Since then several billion dollars have been doled out, not just to federal victim-assistance programmes but to all 50 states ... The money is distributed through the Crime Victims Fund…. In addition to the court fines and penalties, the fund receives forfeited bail, proceeds from confiscated property, special court assessments ranging from $25 for individuals convicted of misdemeanours to $400 for corporations convicted of felonies, and donations. … [T]he fund now holds more than $9bn.... … Groups such as the National Juvenile Justice Network, the National Centre for Victims of Crime and the National Assn. of Attorneys General have called for raising the disbursement cap, and that is a sane idea. … — (April 17)