Legal Definitions - capita

The term "capita" is Latin for "heads" or "persons." In legal and administrative contexts, it is almost exclusively used as part of the phrase "per capita," which means "by head" or "for each person." When something is distributed, measured, or allocated per capita, it signifies an equal share or an equal consideration for every individual. This method ensures that each person receives the same amount or is counted equally, often in contrast to distributions based on family lines or other group affiliations.

Examples:

• Estate Distribution: Imagine a will that specifies, "My residuary estate shall be distributed per capita among my surviving nieces and nephews." If the deceased had three nieces and two nephews, each of these five individuals would receive an equal one-fifth share of the remaining estate. This illustrates per capita because the distribution is made directly to each individual beneficiary, with each receiving the same amount, rather than being divided by family branches or parental lines.
• Government Funding Allocation: A federal grant program might allocate funds to states per capita based on their respective populations to support public health initiatives. If State X has 10 million residents and State Y has 5 million residents, and the program allocates $5 per capita, State X would receive $50 million ($5 x 10,000,000) and State Y would receive $25 million ($5 x 5,000,000). This demonstrates per capita as the funding is determined by counting each individual resident, ensuring that the allocation scales directly with the number of people served in each state.
• Statistical Reporting: When analyzing crime rates, a city's police department might report the number of violent crimes per capita. If a city with a population of 200,000 recorded 400 violent crimes in a year, the violent crime rate would be 2 crimes per 1,000 residents (or 0.002 per capita). This use of per capita helps to standardize the data, allowing for a fair comparison of crime levels between cities of different sizes by showing the average risk or occurrence for each individual person.