Victims should register - find out why

How to register as a victim

You can register as a victim, either with the Correctional Service Canada or the Parole Board of Canada, if you wish to receive information about an offender who harmed you or your family.

• Parole Board of Canada: Victims - Receiving information and the Request for victim registration form.
• Correctional Service Canada: Receiving information and the Request for victim registration form.

You may also send completed registration forms by mail to the Parole Board of Canada.

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

• the offender's name,
• the offence for which the offender was convicted and the court that convicted the offender,
• the date of commencement and length of the sentence that the offender is serving, and
• any eligibility dates and review dates applicable to the offender relating to escorted and unescorted temporary absences, day and full parole, statutory release and long term supervision orders.

In addition, the Parole Board of Canada can provide a copy of its decisions to victims who request it from the Decision Registry.

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

• the offender's age;
• the location of the penitentiary in which the sentence is being served;
• the date, if any, on which the offender is to be released on temporary absence, work release, parole, statutory release or long term supervision orders;
• the date of any hearing for the purposes of a detention review;
• any of the conditions attached to the offender's temporary absence, work release, parole, statutory release or long term supervision orders;
• the destination of the offender on any temporary absence, work release, parole, statutory release or long term supervision orders and whether the offender will be in the vicinity of the victim while travelling to that destination;
• whether the offender is in custody and, if not, the reason that the offender is not in custody; and
• whether or not the offender has appealed a decision of the Parole Board of Canada and the outcome of that appeal.

Apply for financial assistance to attend a parole hearing

Victims registered with the Parole Board of Canada or Correctional Service Canada, 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 Correctional Service Canada Victim Services Division toll free at 1-866-806-2275 or the Parole Board of Canada Victim Information Line toll free 1-866-789-4636.