In 2013 the NSW Code of Practice for the Charter of Victim’s Rights was published. It was revised in 2015. The Code is intended to help government and non-government service providers understand how they can meet their obligations under the Charter and help victims of crime know what to expect from such service providers.
In NSW there are 3 different victim registers:
- Victims Register – for victims of adult offenders
- Juvenile Justice Victims Register – Juvenile Justice – for victims of juvenile offenders supervised by Juvenile Justice NSW, and
- Specialist Victims Support Service Victims Services – for victims of forensic patients (A forensic patient is a person who has been found unfit to be tried for an offence and ordered to be detained in a correctional centre or mental health facility).
Victims can register and keep updated their contact information with Corrective Services NSW for any crime for which an offender has received a custodial sentence. A victim who is registered with any of the registers will be informed of the offender/prisoner being released from gaol, or any parole being amended.
There is currently a criminal justice project being administered by the Department of Communities and Justice Strategy Management Office to develop and trial an app that will give victims access to the information they require without having to rely on others to provide them with the information. It is also intended to provide direct links to enable victims to easily access registration to the victim registers and to access information for preparing for court, court processes, and including notification in relation to amendments to bail conditions and what happens after court. This remains a work in progress.
Liability limited by a scheme approved under Professional Standards Legislation
