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HRS §351-2

Definitions for the Crime Victim Compensation Law

This section defines the key terms used in the crime victim compensation law. It explains who counts as a child, victim, dependent, relative, resident, and other important people. It also defines what counts as a crime, injury, and mass casualty incident.

everyone

The statute, as written — Definitions

As used in this chapter, unless the context otherwise requires: "Child" means an unmarried person who is under eighteen years of age and includes a stepchild or an adopted child. "Commission" means the crime victim compensation commission established by this chapter. "Crime" means those under section 351-32, and shall include an act of terrorism occurring outside the United States as defined in title 18 United States Code section 2331, against a resident of this State. "Dependents" mean such relatives of a deceased victim who were wholly or partially dependent upon the victim's income at the time of the victim's death or would have been so dependent but for the incapacity due to the injury from which the death resulted and includes the child of the victim born after the victim's death. "Designated person" means a person who made payments for funeral, burial, and medical expenses on behalf of a victim. "Injury" means actual bodily harm and, in respect of a victim, includes pregnancy and mental or nervous shock; and "injured" has a corresponding meaning. "Mass casualty incident" means an incident with multiple victims killed during a continuous course of criminal conduct. "Private citizen" means any natural person other than a police officer who is actively engaged in the performance of the police officer's official duties. "Relative" means a victim's spouse or reciprocal beneficiary, parent, grandparent, stepparent, child, grandchild, stepchild, brother, sister, half brother, half sister, stepbrother, stepsister, spouse's or reciprocal beneficiary's parents, niece, nephew, or person residing in the same dwelling unit as the victim. "Resident" means every individual who: (1) Intends to permanently reside in this State; (2) Has a permanent abode in this State; (3) Is a student at any institution of learning and claimed as a dependent of a Hawaii resident; (4) Files a Hawaii income tax return; or (5) Is registered to vote in this State. "Victim" means: (1) A person who is injured or killed by any act or omission of any other person coming within the criminal jurisdiction of the State; (2) Any resident of the State who is injured or killed in another state by an act or omission of another person, which act or omission is within the description of any of the crimes specified in section 351-32; or (3) A person who is a resident of this State who is injured or killed by an act of terrorism occurring outside the United States, as defined in title 18 United States Code section 2331.
Read the official text at capitol.hawaii.gov ↗as published Jan 6, 2026our copy taken Aug 20, 2026

Sections this one refers to

§351-32 Which violent crimes this law covers

LawTrove is not legal advice. The summary above is a computer-generated restatement — the authoritative text is the official version linked above.