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Victim Services: 1‑866‑806‑2275
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Correctional Service of Canada – Victim Services
The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) is responsible for the custody and community supervision of offenders serving a sentence of 2 years or more.
CSC is committed to ensuring that victims and survivors of crime have a voice in the federal corrections process. If you are a victim of crime, we want to make sure that you are treated with compassion, fairness and respect. Dedicated Victim Services Officers are available to provide you with information about the offender who harmed you.
Toll‑free: 1‑866‑806‑2275
E‑mail: victims‑victimes@csc‑scc.gc.ca
Websites:
Are you a victim of crime
The Canadian Victims Bill of Rights and the Corrections and Conditional Release Act define a victim as any person who has suffered physical or emotional harm, property damage, or economic loss as a result of an offence.
Legally, other people can act on behalf of victims who are unable to act for themselves, or who are responsible for the care or support of the victim’s dependant(s).
If you believe that any of your rights have been infringed or denied, you may file a complaint.
Your rights
The Canadian Victims Bill of Rights guarantees 4 rights to victims:
- Right to information
- Right to protection
- Right to participation
- Right to seek restitution
How can you receive information
To receive information about the offender who harmed you, please register with either CSC or the Parole Board of Canada. You can register by submitting a Request for Victim Registration form by mail, fax, or online by creating an account on our secure Victims Portal. The registration process allows us to confirm that you meet the definition of a victim, which is required under the law, before we can share certain information with you about the offender.
Once registered, you can choose to receive information by telephone, fax, mail and/or electronically through the Victims Portal, available 24/7.
You can choose someone to act as your representative and receive information on your behalf, if you would prefer not to receive it directly.
What information about the offender can you receive
The Corrections and Conditional Release Act lists the information you can ask for, including but not limited to:
- the offender’s name and age
- the offence for which the offender was convicted and the court that convicted the offender
- details about the offender’s sentence, including its start date, its length and how it was calculated
- the name and location of the correctional institution where the offender is being held
- information about transfers and reasons for a transfer
- the dates on which the offender is eligible for temporary absences from an institution and parole, including CSC and Parole Board of Canada review dates, and review outcomes
- the offender’s release date, destination (and whether the offender will be in your vicinity while travelling to that destination) and any conditions imposed on the offender
- a current photo of the offender at the time of certain releases or at the end of the offender's sentence (warrant expiry date)
- if the offender was removed from Canada by the Canada Border Services Agency before the end of their sentence
- if the offender has died before the end of their sentence
You can also request to receive a Correctional Plan Progress Report. This document describes the objectives the offender is expected to work on, and summarizes the offender’s progress in meeting those objectives at specific points of their sentence.
You can also learn about CSC’s Restorative Opportunities program, which provides victim‑offender mediation services. This program is voluntary and explores opportunities for victims to ask questions to offenders, to tell them how they feel and to describe to them how the crime or actions have impacted them.
You have a voice – Victim Statements
While CSC and the Parole Board of Canada receive and review any Victim Impact Statements from the court, we encourage victims to provide us with Victim Statements as well. These statements can describe the ongoing impact the offence has on your life. You can share your safety concerns, ask that the offender not have contact with you or your family, tell us that the offender’s location matters to you, and ask that the offender not travel or be released to the areas where you and your family live and work.
This information is considered by CSC and the Parole Board of Canada when making recommendations and decisions about the offender throughout their sentence.
You can submit a Victim Statement, or update an existing one, at any time.
Will my personal information be shared with the offender
No. Victim registration and the information you receive about the offender is confidential. We will not share your personal information, such as your address and telephone number, with the offender. The law requires that any Victim Statements you provide be shared with the offender if they are used in decisions affecting the offender.
Regional Victim Advisory Committees
Regional Victim Advisory Committees are made up of victims of crime (volunteers), community members representing victims and services providers, and CSC and the Parole Board of Canada staff. They work together to provide feedback and advice to CSC and the Parole Board of Canada on service delivery, policy, communications, and new issues. Visit our website to learn more and get involved.
CSC contact information and other resources
Correctional Service Canada – Victim Services
Toll‑free: 1‑866‑806‑2275
E‑mail: victims‑victimes@csc‑scc.gc.ca
Websites:
Other federal government services for victims of crime
Parole Board of Canada – Services to Victims
Information services regarding parole hearings and decisions
- Request to observe a parole hearing
- Read your Victim Statement at a hearing
- Request copies of Parole Board of Canada decisions
- Toll‑free: 1‑866‑789‑4636
- Website: Parole Board of Canada
Public Safety Canada ‑ National Office for Victims
Information services
- Toll‑free: 1‑866‑525‑0554
- Website: Public Safety Canada
Department of Justice – Victims Fund
Financial assistance to attend Parole Board Hearings
- Toll‑free: 1‑866‑544‑1007
- Website: Attending Parole Board of Canada Hearings
Office of the Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime
Addresses complaints from victims about any federal agency/legislation dealing with victims of crime
- Toll‑free: 1‑866‑481‑8429
- Website: Office of the Federal Ombudsperson for Victims of Crime
Resources for victims of crime
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