Victims of violent crime and their families say the state’s criminal injuries compensation scheme is unwieldy and traumatic to negotiate, so is there a better option?

In one case, a woman who suffered fractured nasal bones and lacerations on her face following an attack by an ex-partner was denied €700 compensation for dental treatment because her application was submitted after the deadline.

Rachel Gaffney and Rebecca Coen of the Law Reform Commission: the overall aim of a compensation scheme for victims of violent crime should be to avoid, as much as possible, re-traumatising victims. Picture: Fergal Phillips

Since her daughter Alicia Brough was murdered 11 years ago, Maria Dempsey has sat down “at least six times” to fill in an application form that would allow her to recoup money spent on the funeral.

Brough was just 20 years old when she was stabbed to death in Newcastle West in Limerick in 2010. John Geary, who pleaded guilty to the murder of Brough, as well as the brutal killings of his ex-partner Sarah ...