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Victims Register

Victim's Rights

It is a fundamental belief of the New South Wales Government that victims should be treated with courtesy and compassion and respect for their rights and dignity.

The New South Wales Government enacted the Victims Rights Act, 1996 to establish the Charter of Victims Rights. This requires State Agencies to have regard to it in the administration of justice and other relevant affairs of the State.

The Government also enacted legislation [now contained in the Crimes (Administration of Sentences) Act 1999] to establish the Victims Register which requires that victim submissions be taken into consideration in certain circumstances

What is the Victim's Register?

The Department of Corrective Services maintains the Victims Register which records the names and contact details of victims who have requested registration of their interests.

The Register is strictly controlled and access is limited to staff with a genuine and essential need to have such access.

The purpose of the Victims Register is to enable the Department to keep victims informed if the offender:

is to be considered for a change in security classification which may result in the offender being eligible for unescorted leave of absence (i.e. pre-release leave)
is due for parole consideration
is due for release
has escaped from custody

The Victims Register will not as a matter of course advise victims of changes in security classification, except as stated above, or of routine transfers between Correctional Centres or for medical treatment. A victim may however enquire at any time of the inmate's location.

Under the Crimes (Administration of Sentences) Act 1999 the Department must advise the Parole Board and the Serious Offenders Review Council of any registered victim of a "serious offender".

A registered victim of a serious offender has the opportunity to make submissions to the Serious Offenders Review Council concerning unescorted leave and these submissions are taken into consideration before making any recommendation to the Commissioner.

A registered victim of a serious offender also has an opportunity to make submissions to the Parole Board about the offender before it is decided if the offender should be released on parole.

Victims of Community Based Offenders

A victim may also register where the offender is serving a sentence by way of Periodic Detention or Home Detention or is serving a community based order, be it Parole or Probation supervision, or supervision under a Community Service Order.

Once a victim is registered they will be able to request information as to the term of the offender's order and its duration. If necessary the registered victim may also be contacted directly by a Probation and Parole Officer.

Who is a Victim?

The Crimes (Administration of Sentences) Act 1999 defines a victim as:

a victim of the offence for which the offender has been sentenced or of any offence taken into account under Division 3 of Part 3 of the Crimes (Sentencing Procedure) Act 1999 , or
a family representative of such a victim (if the victim is dead or under any incapacity or in such circumstances as may be prescribed by the regulations)

and includes a person who suffers actual physical harm, mental illness or nervous shock, or whose property is deliberately taken, destroyed or damaged, as a direct result of an act committed, or apparently committed, by the offender in the course of a criminal offence.

If you believe you are a victim and wish to register your interest please contact the Department's Community Liaison Officer to discuss the matter.

Downloads

Victims Register Brochure - English(pdf)
Victims Register - Arabic (pdf)
Victims Register - Vietnamese (pdf)
Victims Register - Spanish (pdf)
Victims Register - Chinese (pdf)

Enquiries

All correspondence to:

restorative.justice@dcs.nsw.gov.au