Victim’s right to protection within federal corrections and parole

On this page

• Share your safety concerns
• Share pressing safety issues with Correctional Service of Canada
• Take note that some of your information is shared with the offender
• Make a complaint if your right has not been met
• National Office for Victims

You have a right to:

• have your security and privacy needs considered, and
• have reasonable and necessary measures taken to protect you from retaliation and intimidation from the offender that harmed you.

When the offender who harmed you receives a sentence of two years or more (including life sentences) it is the Correctional Service of Canada and the Parole Board of Canada that must consider your safety needs if you are registered as a victim and even if you are not. However, you must register with the Correctional Service of Canada or the Parole Board Canada to be informed when a decision to potentially release the offender who harmed you into the community is going to be made. Sending information to victims is not automatic.

The Parole Board of Canada also makes parole decisions for offenders serving provincial sentences (less than two years) in all of the territories and provinces except Quebec, Ontario and Alberta. Check with victim services in the province or territory where the offender is serving their sentence to get information about their parole services. Your safety concerns must be considered when they make these decisions.

Share your safety concerns

You do not need to be registered as a victim to provide information to the Correctional Service of Canada and the Parole Board of Canada. The law requires that they consider information received from victims. To help them protect you, tell them about your safety concerns.

Is information from victims considered when a decision is made about releasing the offender?

Yes. The law requires that the Correctional Service of Canada and the Parole Board of Canada consider information that is received from victims when making a decision to release the offender into the community. You do not need to be registered as a victim to provide information to the Correctional Service of Canada and the Parole Board of Canada.

The law also requires them to consider a great deal of other information; for example, reports from professionals, court and police reports, observations of the offender's behavior in jail, etc. The final decision must support the best strategy to ensure that the offender does not commit another crime.

Share pressing safety issues with Correctional Service of Canada

Some safety concerns need to be addressed quickly. Such as, if the offender keeps contacting you from jail after you’ve told the Correctional Service of Canada you do not want them to. Talk to a Victim Services Officer at the Correctional Service of Canada about options that may help you. You can also contact the Tip Line at the Correctional Service of Canada (1-800-780-3784) to provide information anonymously.

Additional information is available in the information product: Helping Victims Prepare for the Release of a Federal Offender.

What if you have safety concerns about the offender being released?

To help them protect you and your family members, tell them about your safety concerns. It is best if you do this early on in the sentence so your concerns can be considered:

• Your information will be considered in decisions about the offender’s security level and where the offender serves their sentence and whether to release the offender to the community.
• Your statement may help determine the types of programs that will help the offender to safely return to the community and  the risk that they may commit another crime;
• You can ask them not to allow the offender to phone or send mail to you or family while they are in jail; and
• You can ask them to consider the area where you live, work and/or study when planning for the offender’s possible release to the community.

Are there rules the offender must follow while they are in the community?

Yes, these are called conditions. When a decision is made to release the offender into the community, the decision maker will also decide what condition(s) the offender needs follow while in the community. This can include conditions that protect you and your family. You must ask the Correctional Service of Canada and the Parole Board of Canada for the conditions you want, such as:

• not allow the offender to contact you or your family once released to the community under supervision until their sentence is finished; and/or
• not allow the offender to go to a specified area (known as a “geographic” condition), for example, in the area where you live, work or study, while released in the community under supervision until their sentence is finished.

All conditions, including conditions to protect victims, must be reasonable and necessary to ensure the offender does not commit another crime. If the decision makers decide to impose none of the conditions you requested, written reasons must be provided to you.

What if the offender wants to change the conditions they must follow?

When conditions to protect you have been imposed and the Correctional Service of Canada and the Parole Board of Canada are considering removing or changing any of those conditions, they must inform you before that decision is made. They must also consider any concerns you have about making this change when making the decision. For these reasons, it is important that you keep your contact information up to date.

How do you update your statement?

You only need to submit your statement once. Once it is received, it will be considered every time a decision about releasing the offender into the community is made. Recognizing that situations do change as time goes by, you can submit an updated statement to the Correctional Service of Canada and/or the Parole Board of Canada at any time in the offender’s sentence.

Take note that some of your information is shared with the offender

Offenders are not told you are receiving information about them. Your name is shared with the offender when you ask for them to not contact you.

Offenders are given a copy of all victim statements.

Is the offender told that you contacted the Correctional Service of Canada or the Parole Board of Canada?

• No. Offenders are not told when you contact the Correctional Service of Canada and the Parole Board Canada.
• Offenders are not told if you are receiving information about them.

Is your personal information shared with the offender?

• Offenders are given a copy of all victim statements. The law requires that offenders receive all information that will be used in decision-making about how their sentences are administered. This allows them to respond if asked about it.
• The name you put on your victim statement is shared with the offender. However, the offender will not receive any other personal information about you, such as your address, email, etc.
• Your name is also given to the offender when there is a condition for them not to contact you while on release.

Make a complaint if your right has not been met

If you feel your rights as a victim have been denied, you can submit a complaint. Information about how to do this is available at: Making a Complaint under the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights.

National Office for Victims

You can visit the National Office for Victims for additional information and publications that explain the federal corrections and parole system.