Backgrounder

VICTIMS OF CRIME

Over the past several years, the Government of Canada has worked to improve the experience of victims in the criminal justice system. The Departments of Justice Canada and Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Canada, Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) and the National Parole Board (NPB)have worked together to implement measures in order to better meet the needs of victims.

Victims of Crime Initiative
The Department of Justice's Victims of Crime Initiative was launched in April 2000 in response to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights Report Victims' Rights - A Voice Not a Veto . Administered by the Policy Centre for Victim Issues (PCVI), the overall goal of the Victims of Crime Initiative has been to increase the confidence of victims of crime in the criminal justice system through raising awareness among victims of crime and their families about their role in the criminal justice system and of services and assistance available to support them. This is achieved through consultation, research, policy development, legislative review and amendments, project funding and most importantly, a close working relationship with provincial and territorial counterparts who are tasked with the responsibility for victim services delivery.

In the first five years of its mandate, the Policy Centre for Victim Issues has conducted a number of evaluations, surveys and consultations with victims of crimes, victim advocates and service providers on their experiences and on specific issues. Overall results have indicated significant improvements in victim services, awareness, education and training, particularly in smaller jurisdictions and the North. These results have also enabled PCVI to advance the federal strategy and raise the profile of victim issues.

The Victims of Crime Initiative also established the Victim Fund, which provides grants and contributions to provincial and territorial governments and non-governmental organizations to develop, promote and enhance services and assistance for victims. Budget 2005 renewed the Initiative on an ongoing basis and provided funding to the Department of Justice of $25 million for the next five years.

The PCVI is mandated to work toward improving the experience of the victims of crime in the criminal justice system by pursuing a range of activities and initiatives to:

• Make victims more aware of their role in the criminal justice system and the laws, services and assistance applicable to them;
• Increase overall awareness about the needs of victims of crime and effective approaches in Canada and internationally; and
• Improve the ability of the Department of Justice to develop laws and policy that take into consideration the perspectives of victims.

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