The Department of Justice’s Victims Charter contains information to assist victims of crime, and to help them find the support they need. The Charter provides information on both State and voluntary group services that work with victims of crime and how to get in touch with them.

The Charter also describes the Criminal Justice System so that a victim can understand what to expect. The journey a victim will face through the Criminal Justice System is broken down into three stages in the Victims Charter. The three stages are Support and Reporting Stage, the Courts Stage and the Post-Trial Stage.

When you become a victim of a crime, it is important that you know you will be listened to and you will be supported. You may wish to reach out for support even before you want to report the crime. Within this section of the Charter you will find information on the Crime Victims Helpline, a directory of victim support services, information for victims of sexual violence and information for Irish citizens who become a victim of crime abroad.

After the crime has been committed you are encouraged to report it so it can be investigated. This is the Report Stage. Here you will find information on An Garda Síochána, the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission (GSOC), the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions and the Criminal Injuries Compensation Tribunal.

After the crime has been investigated you may want information on what to expect from the Courts process and what type of legal assistance may be available to you. In this section of the Charter, you will find information on the Courts Service, the Legal Aid Board (LAB) and the Coroner.

After the trial you may wish to know where the perpetrator is detained, for how long and when they may be released or given temporary release. In this section of the Charter, you will find information on the Prison Service, the Probation Service, the Parole Board, Oberstown Youth Detention Campus and the National Forensic Mental Health Service.

The Charter also contains a section titled Rights and the Law, which provides detailed information on the main piece of legislation dealing with victims’ rights in Ireland, which is the Criminal Justice (Victims of Crime) Act, 2017. Within this section you will also find a plain English guide to legal terms, information on how a criminal case is investigated and prosecuted, the law around Domestic and Sexual Violence and descriptions of protections available to victims through various court orders.

For more information on the Victims Charter go to www.victimscharter.ie.