Victims

What is a Registered Victim?

A Registered Victim is a victim of crime, or a family member representing them, who has been placed on a register by Victims Support staff at Corrective Services NSW.

Contact the CSNSW Victims Register to be registered as a victim of crime.

If I am a Registered Victim, what information can I access about an offender?

Registered victims are entitled to information about any changes to an offender’s sentence. 

On request you can be provided an annual update of the offender’s location in custody and security classification.

What documents can I access about an offender?

Victims of Serious Offenders can access modified documents about what an offender has done towards his rehabilitation while in custody.

These documents are available close to an offender’s earliest release date. 

What information can I access about an offender coming up for parole?

When an inmate becomes eligible for parole,  the Victims Register will notify you to explain the process and help you make a submission.

Victim Submissions are always confidential and not seen by an offender without the victim’s consent.

The Parole Authority carefully considers all submissions before making a final parole decision.

What say do I have about an offender's parole?

Victims can provide a written submission to the Parole Authority about an offender’s parole. Victims of a serious offender can make either a written or verbal submission in a review hearing in open court. 

If you are a victim your submission can:

• express your view as to whether parole should be granted or refused
• relate how you have been impacted and any concerns you have about the inmate being considered for parole
• request any conditions you feel should be imposed, such as exclusion zones 

Does the offender see my submission?

Not unless you want them to. 

When providing a submission, you can seek a Section 194 order which will keep the submission private and confidential. This means only Authority members will have access to this submission. 

If you choose to attend court, you can also sit in a section of the public gallery that is not seen by the inmate who appears at the hearing via Audio Visual Link.

What if I don’t want to make a submission?

You are not compelled or under any obligation to provide a written or verbal submission.

If you do not want to attend the review hearing you will still be informed of the outcome and the parole decision via the Victims Register. 

You can also request a copy of the written determination (if one is available) through the Victims Register.  

Can I ask for an offender to serve their total sentence in prison and not get out on parole? 

You can request this but it's important to remember that an offender on parole might be out of prison but is still being watched by authorities. They are in the community but still serving their sentence.

If an inmate is released fronm ptrison at the end of their sentence thenwhen they get out they are not supervised by anyone nor compelled to obey any parole conditions out in the community.

Having served all their sentence in prison they get to walk out free to rejoin society and authorities have no legal power to monitor them in the community. 

Most inmates are given a head sentence (maximum sentence) and a non-parole period (the minimum time that must be served in prison).

At some point an inmate’s sentence will come to an end.

Parole helps offenders reintegrate safely because Community Corrections officers are in contact with them making sure they are complying with the order.

Victims can ask the Parole Authority to impose additional conditions and exclusion zones for offenders preveting them from going to certain locations while on parole. 

If an inmate is released at the end of their total maximum senten victims cannot request any conditions or exclusion zones.

Evidence consistently shows that supervising offenders in the community reduces the risk of reoffending and offers better protection for the community.