After conviction

When an accused is convicted and sentenced, they become the responsibility of either a provincial or federal government corrections agency. These agencies are responsible for reducing reoffending and protecting communities by managing and controlling adult criminal offenders.

BC Corrections

An individual sentenced to jail for less than two years will be held in a B.C. provincial correctional centre. 

When the individual’s sentence includes probation or is a suspended or conditional sentence, they may have to report to a BC Corrections probation officer. Probation orders, conditional and suspended sentence orders set out certain conditions the offender must follow during their sentence.

One of these conditions may be that the offender has no contact with you.

If the individual is not supposed to have contact with you, the probation officer may try to contact you to provide you with information about the individual.

If you are a victim of domestic violence, BC Corrections staff will also try to contact you with information about the individual, such as when they will get out of custody.

You can register with the Victim Safety Unit of the Ministry of Public Safety and Solicitor General to receive ongoing information about the individual. You provide your name and contact information. They will keep you up to date with what happens to the individual during their sentence.

Correctional Service of Canada

An individual sentenced to jail for two years or more will be held in a federal correctional centre. Please visit the Correctional Service of Canada website for more information about federal victim services.

Parole

An individual on parole has been released from a correctional centre before the end of their sentence. Individuals on parole serve part of their sentence in the community under supervision, with specific conditions they must follow. The Parole Board of Canada decides whether an individual will be released on parole and, if so, what conditions they will have to follow.

As a victim, you can ask for information about whether the individual has applied for parole. You may also give information to the Parole Board of Canada about your feelings about the parole application. If the individual has applied for parole and you are scared of them, tell the Parole Board of Canada.

If you are already registered with the Victim Safety Unit or Correctional Service of Canada for the victim notification service, they will also let you know about parole (the victim notification service provides ongoing information and updates about the individual).

More information

For more information, visit:

• Victim notification
• Release from custody
• Corrections