Open petition: Allow courts to waive victim surcharges where no identifiable victim exists

Created by Christopher Alexander Whiting
Closes on 6 April 2027

Make victim surcharges discretionary when an offence causes no direct loss, injury or trauma to an identifiable victim. Victim services need proper funding, but automatically charging people in victimless cases is misleading and unfair. Courts should decide when the surcharge is justified.

The surcharge is calculated from the sentence imposed, not from harm caused to an identifiable victim. This means people can be ordered to pay a “victim surcharge” when nobody suffered direct loss, injury or trauma. Victim services are important, but they should receive secure and transparent public funding. Giving courts discretion to waive or reduce the charge in genuinely victimless cases would make sentencing fairer without withdrawing support from real victims.

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