Federal Ombudsman for Victims of Crime
Heard. Respected. Victims First
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Shifting the Conversation
Shifting the conversationOver the years, and certainly over the past months, there has been much public debate about the merits and downfalls of a "tough on crime" agenda in creating true and positive change for victims of crime in Canada.
Establishing prioritiesSo what are victims' needs and concerns? What can be done to address them? Where do we start?
Information for victimsOne of the most basic rights we would expect a victim to have is the right to information—information about their rights, about the criminal justice system and about the offender who harmed them.
Meaningful participation by victims in the criminal justice systemIn the current corrections and conditional release system, the victim's role is very limited.
Tangible support for victimsRecent studies estimate that the total tangible social and economic costs of Criminal Code offences in Canada in 2008 were approximately $31.4 billion.
Moving forward—Rebalancing the Canadian criminal justice systemThe time has come in Canada to shift the conversation from offender management to directly meeting victims' needs.
Table of Contents
- Who we are
- Shifting the conversation
- Establishing priorities
- Information for victims
- Meaningful participation by victims in the criminal justice system
- Tangible support for victims
- Moving forward—Rebalancing the Canadian criminal justice system
- Appendix A: List of detailed recommendations with legislative references
