Compensation for damages

If the court has obliged the perpetrator to pay you damages you can either come to an agreement with him on the payment arrangements or let a bailiff recover the compensation. A copy of the court decision, which can be obtained free of charge from the office of the district court shall be submitted to the enforcement authorities of the jurisdictional district (kihlakunnan ulosottovirasto) or the enforcement department of the jurisdictional district office (kihlakunnanviraston ulosotto-osasto). Further information on how to apply for compensation is also given there.

Compensation can also be obtained from the State Treasury, the insurance companies and the Social Insurance Institution. The possibilities for obtaining compensation vary and must therefore be examined separately in each case.

State-funded compensation

Persons who have become a victim of a crime are entitled to receive state-funded compensation for damages arising from the crime. The right to state-funded compensation is secondary, which means that the compensation that the victim of a crime has received or will receive on the basis of another law or an insurance will be deducted from the compensation granted by the State. The compensation that the perpetrator has paid the victim will also be deducted from it. The victim can, however, apply for compensation directly from the State Treasury without first trying to make the perpetrator pay compensation.

Compensation is generally granted only if requested from the perpetrator in court. If a crime has remained unsolved or if the perpetrator has not been apprehended, compensation can be obtained from the State Treasury without a court decision.

Compensation is primarily paid for personal injuries, for instance, the costs of medical treatment, pain and suffering, a permanent handicap or mental anguish.

State-funded compensation is applied for at the State Treasury. The court decision, the pre-trial investigation record of the police or some other reliable account of the course of events and the extent of the damages, a medical certificate and receipts shall be appended to the application. Application forms are available at the State Treasury, the Social Insurance Institution and the police. The form can also be found on the Internet (www.valtiokonttori.fi).

The State Treasury can deviate from the compensation determined by the court, especially when it concerns compensation for pain and suffering, permanent handicap or mental anguish.