National Office for Victims

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The National Office for Victims (NOV) is a central resource working to improve victims' experience with the federal corrections and conditional release system. To do this it:

provides a “victim lens” on correctional policy development to assist victims in exercising their rights to information, participation and protection;
develops information products, as resources permit, for dissemination to victims and the general public aimed at increasing awareness so victims can better understand and navigate federal corrections and conditional release;
complements the work of the Policy Centre for Victim Issues through Public Safety Canada Portfolio coordination and engagement with victims, their advocates, and other stakeholders in order to ensure the NOV's services and supports are informed by multi-sectoral coordination; and
considers the unique needs of victims in vulnerable communities, including Indigenous peoples when it undertakes the work outlined above.

Check out the NOV’s 2021 Highlights.

Information for Victims of Federal Offenders

Under the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, victims of federal offenders (i.e., an offender who has been sentenced to serve two years or more in federal custody) may receive certain information about the person who harmed them. They may also provide a victim statement about the emotional, physical and financial impact the crime has had on their life and any safety concerns they may have. These statements can be updated any time while the offender is under sentence and can be considered in case management decisions. To send and/or receive information from the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) and/or the Parole Board of Canada (PBC) electronically, victims may register through the Victims Portal, a secure online service available to them and/or their named representative(s).

Victims of federal offenders can receive certain notifications about the person who harmed them, including:

the offender's name;
the offence the offender was convicted of and the court that convicted the offender;
when the sentence began and the length of the sentence; and
the eligibility and review dates applicable to the offender for temporary absence or conditional release (also known as parole).

To learn more about how to exercise your rights in the federal corrections and conditional release system please visit Exercising your rights as a victim of crime.

To find out how to register for the federal victim notification service, please call:

Correctional Service of Canada
1-866-806-2275 (toll-free)

Parole Board of Canada
1-866-789-4636 (toll-free)

Video - Services for Victims of Crime

Publications

An important part of the NOV's mandate is to write, publish and distribute information packages and guides for victims, the organizations that help them, and members of the general public. These publications include:

Canadian Victims Bill of Rights Act
Helping Victims Prepare for the Release of a Federal Offender
Overview of Federal Corrections and Criminal Justice - Victim-Centred Information and Assistance
An Information Guide to Assist Victims (Victims who register with the CSC or the PBC receive this comprehensive overview of the federal corrections and conditional release system.)
Victims of Crime: Staying Informed is a pocket-sized booklet containing the mandates of the federal department and agencies who work with victims of federal offenders. This booklet is available as PDF format in the following languages:

To order hardcopies of any of these publications free of charge, please complete the Publication Order Form.

New: In consultation with the National Manager of Sentence Management at the Correctional Service of Canada, the NOV developed a booklet entitled “Sentence Calculation – An Explanation of the Basics of Sentence Calculation with Examples” and five Fast Fact Sheets that explain the basic sentence calculation rules for federal offenders.

Fast Fact Sheets:

More information on Victims of Crime

The Canadian Victims Bill of Rights

The Canadian Victims Bill of Rights (CVBR) created four statutory rights for victims of crime: the right to information, protection, participation and to seek restitution. It also ensures that victims who are of the opinion that their rights under the CVBR have been denied or infringed in any way by a federal department or agency can file a complaint.

Learn more about Making a Complaint under the CVBR to the Public Safety Portfolio.

The NOV has been hosting stakeholder engagement sessions about the role of victims in the federal corrections and conditional release system and victims' rights to information, participation and protection under the CVBR. The Summary reports are available below:

2016-2017: National Victims Roundtable on the Right to Information
2017-2018: National Victims Roundtable on the Right to Participation
2018-2019: National Victims Roundtable on the Right to Protection
2019-2020: National Victims Roundtable on the Right to Information

Definitions

Victim: The Corrections and Conditional Release Act defines a victim as someone who was harmed or who suffered physical or emotional damage as the result of an offence. If a victim has died, is ill, or is otherwise unable to act for him or herself, the victim's spouse, common-law partner, relative, dependent or anyone who has in law or fact custody or is responsible for the care or support of the victim may request and receive information on behalf of the victim.
Federal offender: A federal offender is someone who has been sentenced to two years or more in federal custody. The Correctional Service of Canada is responsible for managing federal offenders in institutions of various security levels and supervising these offenders when under conditional release in the community. The Parole Board of Canada is an independent administrative tribunal that makes quality conditional release and record suspension decisions, and clemency recommendations.