After court

The justice process may not end for you when sentencing is done. Depending on the case, there may be:  

• an appeal. You may be asked to appear again as a witness. 
• reparation ordered by the court. If this happens, the Ministry of Justice will collect payments from the offender to pass on to you in a way that you prefer.
• contact about the Victim Notification Register. If you are on the register, you can be kept informed about what is happening with the offender as they move through the justice system.
• parole hearings or other changes to sentencing conditions later on. If you are on the Victim Notification Register, you can be told about parole hearings and other changes after sentencing such as home detention or release conditions. 

If you have been the victim of a serious crime, you can choose to apply for the Victim Notification Register to stay informed about what happens to the offender after they're sentenced.

Depending on what the information is about, the agencies below may contact you.

New Zealand Police

New Zealand Police are responsible for:

• verifying whether you can be placed on the Victim Notification Register
• confirming your identity and contact details
• forwarding your application to the Department of Corrections

You can apply to be on the Victims Notification Register by completing a Victim Request Form and giving it to police.

The form is available on the New Zealand Police website:

Victim Notification Register Form | Police(external link)

The Department of Corrections

The Department of Corrections can notify registered victims about specific events relating to the charge or sentence a victim is registered against. This can include:

• if the offender is released from prison, home detention, or post-detention conditions
• if the offender escapes from prison, is recaptured, or returns to prison on an interim recall
• if the offender is convicted of breaching conditions of home detention, parole or release conditions, or Extended Supervision Order conditions
• the outcome of an application to have a prison or home detention sentence cancelled and substituted with another sentence
• if an application is made for cancellation of an Extended Supervision Order and the outcome of an application for cancellation of an Extended Supervision Order
• if the offender dies in prison, on home or post-detention conditions, on parole or release conditions, or on an Extended Supervision Order.

More information is available on the Department of Corrections website(external link)

New Zealand Parole Board

The New Zealand Parole Board can notify registered victims about parole hearings and decisions. This can include:

• upcoming Parole Board hearings
• invitation to make a submission
• the results of hearings, including release dates and any conditions that relate to you
• decisions about recall orders or special conditions.

More information is available on the New Zealand Parole Board website(external link)

A parole hearing is when the New Zealand Parole Board decides whether offenders eligible for parole can be released to finish their sentence in the community, subject to conditions.

If you are not on the Victim Notification Register, you are not automatically told when a parole hearing is coming up. You can still make a submission to the Parole Board.

Find more information about the parole process on the New Zealand Parole Board website(external link)

Who will see your submission

The person in prison will usually be able to read your written submission, or hear a summary of what you said, but your contact details are removed, and they cannot keep a copy.