Victim Services at CSC

History of Victim Services

This section provides a brief overview of the history of Victim Services at the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC). If you would like additional information, please contact us toll-free at 1-866-806-2275 or by email at victims-victimes@csc-scc.gc.ca.

1988: In 1988, Canada's federal, provincial and territorial governments endorsed the Canadian Statement of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime.The statement is based on the 1985 United Nations Declaration of Basic Principles for Victims of Crime and Abuse of Power and is intended to guide governments in the development of legislation and policy. The Statement was revised in 2003.

1992: The Corrections and Conditional Release Act (CCRA) recognized for the first time that victims of crime have a legitimate interest in receiving information from CSC about the offender who harmed them. Since the implementation of the CCRA, CSC has been providing services to registered victims and is continuously seeking ways to enhance its services.

2006: In August 2006, CSC amended the Commissioner's Directive (CD) 784 – Information Sharing Between the Victims and Correctional Service of Canada and the associated guidelines. The changes clarify the information-sharing process and outline CSC’s responsibilities, most notably in the sections on Disclosure of Information and Sharing Victim-Related Information with Offenders.

2007: On September 4, 2007, CSC launched the National Victim Services Program. As part of this initiative, CSC established 30 new full-time staff positions to provide services to victims of offenders serving a sentence of two years or more. The Victim Services Officers (VSOs) work exclusively with registered victims and respond directly to their requests.