Why victims should register

If you wish to receive information about an offender who harmed you or your family, you must register as a victim, either with the Correctional Service Canada (CSC) or the Parole Board of Canada (PBC). This can be done before or after sentencing.

How to register as a victim

Registering can be done either through the Parole Board of Canada: Victims - Receiving information by filling in the Request for victim registration form, or through Correctional Service Canada: Receiving information by filling in the Request for victim registration form.

You may also send completed registration forms by email or mail to the PBC.

Once victims are registered with PBC or CSC, they have the right to receive the following information upon request:

• the offender's name,
• the offence and the court that convicted the offender,
• the start date and length of the sentence that the offender is serving, and
• the offender’s eligibility dates and review dates for temporary absences, parole, and statutory release.

In addition, the PBC can provide a copy of its decisions to victims who request it.

In certain cases, the PBC or CSC may also share the following information with a victim who requests it:

• the offender's age;
• whether the offender is in custody and, if not, the reason why;
• the location of incarceration;
• the reason for any temporary absence
• information about an offender transferring from one institution to another;
• information about the programs in which the offender is participating or has participated;
• the serious disciplinary offences committed by the offender;
• the date of a hearing about detaining the offender in custody after his or her statutory release date;
• information about an offender's progress in relation to his or her correctional plan;
• the date when an offender has been removed from Canada;
• the date of any release of the offender the Board has approved;
• the date of any Parole Board review;
• any conditions imposed;
• the reason why an offender waived a hearing, if a reason was given;
• the destination of the offender when released and whether the offender will be near the victim while travelling to that destination; and,
• any appeal of a PBC decision by the offender, and its outcome.

Registered victims can apply for financial assistance to attend a parole hearing

Victims registered with the PBC or CSC, who are approved to attend a hearing, can apply to the Department of Justice's Policy Centre for Victim Issues (PCVI) to receive financial assistance to attend the hearings of the offender who harmed them. A victim and a support person may receive financial assistance to cover travel, hotel, and meal expenses as well as child or dependent care. For more information, victims may contact the Victims Fund Manager by calling, toll-free, 1-866-544-1007 or visit PCVI's website.

Contacts

To learn more about victim services and your rights, or to obtain application forms, contact the CSC Victim Services Division toll free at 1-866-806-2275 or the PBC at 1-866-789-4636.