CICA unspent convictions rule reform
IICSA · Interim Report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse · Issued 25 April 2018 · Addressed to: Ministry of Justice
Source — verbatim from the inquiry
●Inquiry recommendation, I
The Chair and Panel recommend that the Ministry of Justice revises Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority rules, so that awards are not automatically rejected in circumstances where an applicant's criminal convictions are likely to be linked to their child sexual abuse. Each case should be considered on its merits.
IICSA, Interim Report of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse · 25 Apr 2018 Source PDF →
Published evidence summary
Publicly available evidence relating to this recommendation:
- In May 2023, the government confirmed that changes to the CICA rules had been implemented (Government Response to IICSA Final Report, HM Government, May 2023).
Response — verbatim from government
●UK Government — initial response
The Government will consider how the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme can better serve victims of violent crime including child sexual abuse. The terms of reference for the review have been published, which will examine whether the CICS remains fit for purpose. We will consult publicly on proposals in 2019.
UK Government · 20 Dec 2018 Written response →
●UK Government — follow-up
The MoJ published the terms of reference of a review of the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme on 18 December 2018. The review is examining whether the Scheme reflects the changing nature of violent crime and effectively supports victims. The review will report by the end of 2019, and there will be a public consultation on reform proposals later this year.
UK Government · 22 Jul 2019 Written response →
●UK Government — follow-up
On 14 May 2021, the Ministry of Justice stated that, following its consultation on reform proposals for the Criminal Injuries Compensation Scheme, the UK government concluded that it did not propose any change to the existing rule on unspent convictions. It stated that individuals with unspent convictions that have resulted in community and custodial sentences should not be eligible for state-funded compensation, given the harm done to others and the cost to society of offending behaviour. The Ministry of Justice confirmed that it would publish a government response in due course.
UK Government · 22 May 2023 Written response →
Evidence trail — what's actually happened since
No published activity has been recorded against this recommendation yet.
Each entry above links to a primary source — gov.uk written statement, consultation response document, or inspection report. The Index does not characterise government intent; it tracks what has been published.
How this page is built
Source and Response are verbatim from primary documents. The Evidence trail records published activity since — written statements, consultation outcomes, inspection findings, parliamentary references. The Index does not paraphrase or characterise intent; it tracks what has been published. Where the evidence is the absence of action (a missed deadline, a slipped timetable), that absence is documented from primary sources rather than inferred.
This recommendation's data is verified periodically against primary sources. The Index is monitored for staleness weekly.