The Victims’ Bill of Rights, 1995

The Victims’ Bill of Rights, 1995 (VBR) establishes a set of principles to support victims of crime throughout the criminal justice process. It requires that victims be treated with courtesy, compassion and respect for their personal dignity and privacy.

The VBR also specifies that victims should have information about:

• services and remedies available to them;
• financial compensation that might assist them;
• the progress of police investigations that relate to the crime;
• the charges laid with respect to the crime, and if no charges are laid the reasons why;
• procedures of the court and the victims’ role in the prosecution;
• dates and places of court proceedings, and the outcome of the proceedings including any appeals;
• any pre-trial arrangements made with the accused that relate to a plea entered at the trial;
• the interim release of an accused and, if convicted, the sentence given;
• a decision that the accused is unfit to stand trial;
• the right to submit a victim impact statement; and
• notice of any application for the offenders’ release, and notice if the offender escapes.

The full text of the VBR can be found at the ServiceOntario e-Laws website.