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The Canadian Victims Bill of Rights (CVBR) came into force on July 23, 2015. The CBVR created statutory rights at the federal level for victims of crime. The legislation establishes statutory rights for victims of information, protection, participation, and to seek restitution. It also requires that a complaint process be established by federal departments, agencies, or bodies for alleged breaches of these rights.

This report is organized to reflect the rich information gathered from the Listening Project on Crime Victims’ Experiences of Restorative Justice. The structure of this report is as follows:

• background on restorative justice and its relationship with crime victims,
• an overview of the Listening Project,
• findings on the needs of victims of crime and how restorative justice did and did not meet those needs,
• suggestions from Listening Project participants on how to enhance meaningful victim involvement, and;
• feedback and conclusion.

The Victims of Crime Research Digest will be an annual, joint publication featuring short articles dedicated to victims of crime research. Research is an important tool in helping to incorporate victims' voices on many issues in the criminal justice system and to affect change in legislation, policy or practice.

In Canada, the body of research on victim issues is growing, but there remains much data to be collected to further our understanding of criminal justice processes, as well as the expectations, perceptions and needs of victims. We hope that the Digest will help to highlight some of the research that is being undertaken and that it will help share some of the findings.

Youth believed victims require more attention and support from the Criminal Justice System (CJS). Victims should be aware of their rights, have an opportunity to tell their stories, and receive some form of restitution for the harm experienced.

This dataset lists the location of Department of Justice victim services offices throughout the province.

The costs of victimization of five violent crimes are analyzed in this report: assault, criminal harassment, homicide, robbery, and sexual assault and other sexual offences. Incidents that occurred
in 2009 are included, and all costs, or impacts, of those incidents are included, regardless of when the costs were incurred. Only incidents involving adult victims (18 and up) and a non-spousal
relationship between the victim and offender are included. For the costs of spousal violence, see Zhang et al.

The Victim Crisis Assistance and Referral Services (VCARS) provide immediate, 24/7, on-site service to victims of crime. With a victim's consent, police will arrange for VCARS staff and/or specially trained volunteers to provide on-site, short-term assistance to victims, and make referrals to community agencies for long-term assistance. *[VCARS]: Victim Crisis Assistance and Referral Services

Restorative Justice (RJ) is an approach to justice that focuses on addressing the harm caused by crime while holding the offender responsible for his or her actions, by providing an opportunity for those directly affected by crime – victims, offenders and communities – to identify and address their needs in the aftermath of a crime. RJ is intended to support healing, reintegration, the prevention of future harm, and reparation, if possible.

RJ processes provide opportunities for victims, offenders, and communities affected by a crime to communicate about the causes, circumstances, and impact of that crime, and to address their related needs. These processes are guided by skilled RJ facilitators and can take different forms depending on the community, program, case, participants, or circumstances.

Highlights activities and program developments from several victim serving organizations across the country. More in depth, the PCVI News covers the work done by the Policy Centre for Victims Issues who work on improving and understanding the experience of victims and survivors of crime in the criminal justice system in Canada. The newsletters follow a structure similar to the following, with some deviation depending on the issue: welcome, overview of the topic being discussed, and a transcription of an interview with an expert of key stakeholder doing work in victims services. There is also occasionally summaries of emerging victims support programs.

Annual number of new referrals to the Victim Services Program