Multi-Site Survey of Victims of Crime and Criminal Justice Professionals across Canada

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Table of Contents

• Executive Summary
• 1. Background and Introduction
  • 1.1 Recent Criminal Code Provisions Intended to Benefit Victims
  • 1.2 Purpose of the Study
  • 1.3 Outline of the Report
• 2. Methodology
  • 2.1 Selection of Sites
  • 2.2 Respondent Groups
• 3. Experience of Victims in the Criminal Justice System
  • 3.1 Overview of Case and Victim Characteristics
  • 3.2 Services Received by Victims
  • 3.3 Information Received by Victims
  • 3.4 Consideration of Victim Safety at Bail
  • 3.5 Experience with Testifying
  • 3.6 Victim Impact Statements (VIS)
  • 3.7 Other Criminal Code Provisions and restorative justice
  • 3.8 Victims' Overview of Their Experiences
• 4. Findings From Criminal Justice Professionals
  • 4.1 Role of the Victim in the Criminal Justice Process
  • 4.2 Responsibility of Criminal Justice Professionals to Victims
  • 4.3 Services for Victims
  • 4.4 Information for Victims
  • 4.5 Bail Determinations
  • 4.6 Provisions to Facilitate Testimony
  • 4.7 Preparation for Court
  • 4.8 Victim Impact Statements
  • 4.9 Restitution
  • 4.10 Victim Surcharge
  • 4.11 Conditional Sentences
  • 4.12 Restorative Justice
  • 4.13 Victim Safety Post-sentencing
  • 4.14 Victim Participation in Parole
  • 4.15 Information for Criminal Justice Professionals
  • 4.16 Impact of Criminal Code Provisions
• 5. Summary
  • 5.1 Results from the Multi-site Survey of Criminal Justice Professionals
  • 5.2 Results from the Victim Interviews
• List of Appendices
  • Appendix A: The Canadian Statement of Basic Principles of Justice for Victims of Crime
  • Appendix B: Letter of Introduction
  • Appendix C: Interview Guides and Self-Administered Questionnaires
    1. Interview Guide for Victims of Crime
    2. Interview Guide for Victim Services and Community Organizations
    3. Self-Administered Questionnaire for Survey of Victim Services Providers
    4. Self-Administered Questionnaire for Survey of Victim Advocacy Groups
    5. Interview Guide and Self-Administered Questionnaire for Survey of Judiciary
    6. Interview Guide and Self-Administered Questionnaires for Survey of Crown Attorneys
    7. Interview Guide and Self-Administered Questionnaire for Survey of Defence Counsel
    8. Interview Guide and Self-Administered Questionnaire for Survey of Police
    9. Self-Administered Questionnaire for Survey of Probation Officers
    10. Self-Administered Questionnaires for Survey of Parole Board Personnel
    11. Self-Administered Questionnaire for Survey of Correctional Service of Canada Personnel
• List of Tables
  • Table 1: Number of criminal justice professionals interviewed by site size
  • Table 2: Number of criminal justice professionals who completed self-administered questionnaires by site size
  • Table 3: Probation and parole respondents who completed self-administered questionnaires
  • Table 4: Victim services providers included in the survey by site size
  • Table 5: Number of interviews with victims by site size
  • Table 6: Victim respondent demographics
  • Table 7: The crime(s) victim respondent agreed to discuss for this study
  • Table 8: Year(s) victim respondent was involved with the criminal justice system as a result of this crime
  • Table 9: Disposition of Case to Date of interviews
  • Table 10: Sentences for cases where victim reported that the offender pleaded guilty or was convicted
  • Table 11: Victim assistance received as a result of crime
  • Table 12: Type of victim services providing assistance
  • Table 13: Types of assistance received
  • Table 14: Victim respondent perceptions of the most helpful assistance received
  • Table 15: Source of referrals of victims to victims services
  • Table 16: Who initiated the contact: by type of victims services
  • Table 17: Victims sense of the best way to help victims find the assistance they need
  • Table 18: Length of time until assistance was received by victim, by how contact was initiated
  • Table 19: Types of information received by victims where the accused was charged
  • Table 20: Types of information received by victims where bail was granted
  • Table 21: Types of information received by victims where the case went to trial
  • Table 22: Types of information received by victims where the accused was sentenced
  • Table 23: Types of information received by victims where the accused was incarcerated
  • Table 24: Types of information received by victims about the accused's parole conditions
  • Table 25: Types of information victims of crime most want to receive
  • Table 26: Bail conditions
  • Table 27: Number of victims who felt that their safety was considered in the decision about possible release of the accused
  • Table 28: Number of victims who made their concerns with safety known
  • Table 29: Number of victims who received help in preparing to testify
  • Table 30: How victim(s) received information about victim impact statements (VIS)
  • Table 31: Timing of provision of information to victim about VIS
  • Table 32: Types of information provided to victims about victim impact statements
  • Table 33: Victims' sense of the best way to provide victims of crime with information on victim impact statements
  • Table 34: Victims' sense of when victims should receive information about victim impact statements
  • Table 35: Services of assistance for victims preparing VIS
  • Table 36: Types of assistance victim received in preparing victim impact statement
  • Table 37: Timing of VIS submission
  • Table 38: Victims' reasons for decision to prepare a victim impact statement (VIS)
  • Table 39: Reasons why victims were pleased that they prepared a victim impact statementa
  • Table 40: Victims' sense of whether the criminal justice system does a good job or poor job of considering victims of crime
  • Table 41: Perceptions of respondents about the role victims should have in the criminal justice process: be informed, consulted, no role)
  • Table 42: Respondent perceptions regarding the responsibility of police with respect to victims
  • Table 43: Respondent perceptions regarding the Crown Attorney's responsibility to victims
  • Table 44: Respondent perceptions of the Court's responsibility to victims
  • Table 45: Victim services available in respondent's communit
  • Table 46: Types of services provided by victim services providers
  • Table 47: Perceptions regarding whether victims of crime face challenges in accessing victim services in respondent's community
  • Table 48: Parole and Corrections respondents: Types of victims services provided by your organization
  • Table 49: Parole and Corrections respondents: Types of services provided by other victim services organizations to assist victims with the parole process
  • Table 50: Respondent perceptions regarding whether victims usually receive adequate information
  • Table 51: Respondent perceptions regarding who should provide the following information to victims
  • Table 52: Probation and parole respondents: Who provides victims with information after a sentence of probation has been imposed?
  • Table 53: Parole and Corrections respondents: Do you generally provide the following information about the offender to victims when they request it?
  • Table 54: Parole and Corrections respondents: Information provided to victims
  • Table 55: Collaboration of victim services with other victim services and community organizations, as reported by victim services
  • Table 56: Collaboration of police with victim services, as reported by police
  • Table 57: Reasons Crown Attorneys do not call the victim as a witness in bail decisions, as reported by Crown Attorneys
  • Table 58: Obstacles to the consideration of victim safety at bail, as reported by victim services providers and advocacy groups
  • Table 59: Use of publication bans on non-sexual offences, as reported by Crown Attorneys and Defence Counsel
  • Table 60: Use of screens, closed-circuit television, and video-taped testimony in eligible cases, as reported by criminal justice professionals
  • Table 61: Use of support persons in eligible cases
  • Table 62: Whether s. 486 (2.3) of the Criminal Code should be expanded to other victims or witnesses or other offences
  • Table 63: Ways in which s. 486 (2.3) should be expanded
  • Table 64: Whether victims usually submit victim impact statements at sentencing
  • Table 65: Best times to inform victims about victim impact statements for use at sentencing
  • Table 66: Types of assistance provided for victim impact statements at sentencing, as reported by victim services providers
  • Table 67: The most common method of submitting a victim impact statement at sentencing
  • Table 68: Respondents' experiences where the Defence Counsel or the accused cross-examined the victim on their victim impact statement
  • Table 69: Whether obstacles or problems exist with the use of victim impact statements, as reported by criminal justice professionals
  • Table 70: The existing obstacles or problems with victim impact statements, as reported by criminal justice professionals
  • Table 71: Types of assistance provided for victim impact statements at parole, as reported by victim services providers
  • Table 72: Most common methods of submitting a victim impact statement at parole
  • Table 73: Information used by the Parole Board in making conditional release decisions
  • Table 74: Use of restitution, as reported by Crown Attorney and Defence Counsel
  • Table 75: Perceptions about when restitution enforcement is a concern or a problem
  • Table 76: Obstacles to the use of restitution, as reported by victim services and advocacy groups
  • Table 77: Perceptions of respondents about whether the victim surcharge is waived more often than it should be
  • Table 78: Whether judges generally waive the surcharge without a Defence Counsel request, as reported by Crown Attorneys and Defence Counsel
  • Table 79: Circumstances in which a conditional sentence is appropriate
  • Table 80: Use of conditions for victim's safety in conditional sentences
  • Table 81: Obstacles to the consideration of victim safety in conditional sentences, as reported by victim services and victim advocacy groups
  • Table 82: Reported participation in restorative justice approaches
  • Table 83: Stage in the restorative justice process in which respondents have participated
  • Table 84: Reasons given why respondents have not participated in a restorative justice approach
  • Table 85: Respondent perceptions of the victim's involvement in the decision to use restorative justice
  • Table 86: Methods employed by probation officers to ensure that conditions of probation are followed
  • Table 87: Victim participation in parole or correctional processes
  • Table 88: Obstacles to victim participation in the correctional processes
  • Table 89: Respondent perceptions of whether criminal justice professionals are adequately informed of provisions to benefit victims
  • Table 90: Respondent perceptions of what has been accomplished by the Criminal Code provisions intended to benefit victims
  • Table 91: Respondent perceptions of whether there have been any unintended or unexpected consequences to the Criminal Code provision intended to benefit victims

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