Recent Developments in Victim and Community Participation in Criminal Justice

Abstract

Victims’ rights and the laws on victim impact statements (VIS) have evolved considerably since the last update in the 2012 Victims of Crime Research Digest (Manikis 2012). In 2015, the Victims Bill of Rights Act (VBR) was revised to the stand-alone Canadian Victims Bill of Rights (CVBR) which entrenched victims’ rights in federal legislation for the first time.

The VBR also amended the Criminal Code of Canada (CC) to introduce community impact statements (CIS), additional provisions on VIS, and forms to specify what these statements should say. This article discusses key cases that are implementing VIS, CIS, and the CVBR, as well as international developments in this area of the law.