Victims Support Services

Support Services For Victims

As a victim of crime, you have the right to seek justice, to be treated with respect and to be supported in dealing with the effects of the crime upon you.

Victims Support Services is dedicated to victims of crime. The Service:

produces and maintains a Victims' Register and provides information from that register to victims;
liaises between the victim and other divisions of the Department of Justice;
assists with victim impact statments for court and the parole board;
provides victim/offender mediation;
provides support in lodging Victims of Crime Assitance applications;
provides information about court, legal proceedings and victims' rights;
provides a child witness support service for child victims of family violence;
court support and liasion service for victims of family violence.

All services provided by Victims Support Services are free.

Victims' Register

This is a database that allows victims to access information about an offender's location and progress through the prison system. Any victim of a violent crime, where the offender has been imprisoned, can go on the register. Family members of victims can also be put on the register.

The type of information stored on the register include the victim's name, address and telephone number, the name of the offender/s involved, and the nature and the date of the crime. The only people who have access to this information are staff of the Department of Justice with a genuine and essential need to have access.

The aim of the register is to provide victims with peace of mind. Victims can be provided with updates of a prisoner's location, classification, parole and hearing dates, as well as possible release times. To join the register you will need to fill out an application form.

Victims Of Crime Assistance

As a victim of crime you may be eligible for compensation under the Victims of Crime Assistance Act 1976. Under this Act payments are made from a government fund (not by the offender) to acknowledge the pain and suffering of a victim and provide compensation for any loss of income or other expenses which have flowed from the criminal conduct. The Victims Support Services processes victims of crime assistance applications and can provide assistance with the wording of applications. Completed victims of crime assistance applications can be lodged with the Victims Support Services. It can take three to four months for your application to be processed. For further information see Criminal Law - Criminal Injuries Compensation factsheet.

Contact Details

Victims Support Services is located at Level 1, 54 Victoria Street, Hobart (between Barrack and Harrington Streets).

Phone: (03) 6233 5002

Toll Free: 1300 663 773

Fax: (03) 6233 5031

E-mail: victims@justice.tas.gov.au

Page Last Revised : Monday, October 27, 2008