Victims Rights
Victim of a Crime:
A person that suffers harm (physical, emotional, property, or financial) because of a crime.
The Canadian Victims Bill of Rights provides victims with the following rights:
- Information: About the justice system, any victim services and the progress of the case
- Protection: All reasonable and necessary measures must be taken to protect your identity, protect you from intimidation and retaliation and provide you with any help needed when testifying
- Participation: You can share your opinion on the case to justice professionals, including presenting a victim impact statement
- Restitution: If you had financial losses, you could ask the court to make a restitution order so that the offender must pay back the loss
- Make a Complaint: If you believe your rights have been breached, you can use a complaint system to report that
Victims Rights Apply when:
- An offence is being investigated by police or prosecuted in the court system
- When the offender is incarcerated or conditionally released
- When the offender is under the Ontario Review Board’s jurisdiction (found not criminally responsible or found unfit)
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