Back in 2014 the criminal justice inspectorates promised a full report into how victims of crime were actually being treated by the various agencies involved – police, CPS, courts, probation and so on. That report, Meeting the needs of victims in the criminal justice system, finally landed in December 2015, and it’s still worth a read for the full picture from back then.
The information on this page is based on the law in England & Wales. If you’re in Scotland, click here for the guide for your jurisdiction. If you’re in Northern Ireland, click here for that guide.
A great deal has changed since then. Victims now have a proper statutory rulebook – the Victims’ Code – which sets out 12 rights that the police, CPS, courts and probation must all follow. These include being kept updated on your case, making a Victim Personal Statement, being told the outcome and any appeal, and being able to complain if you weren’t treated properly. The Victims and Prisoners Act 2024, which came into force in January 2025, put much of this on a firmer legal footing and gave the Victims’ Commissioner more powers to hold agencies to account – including a direct route for victims to complain to the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman without having to go through an MP. A further revised Victims’ Code has been out for public consultation, so more change is likely before long.
If you’re the victim of a serious sexual or violent offence and the offender received a prison sentence of 12 months or more, you can ask to join the Probation Service’s Victim Contact Scheme. You’ll be assigned a Victim Liaison Officer who keeps you updated as the offender moves through their sentence, tells you about release dates and licence conditions, and lets you ask for conditions such as an exclusion zone or a ban on the offender contacting you. The scheme has been under close attention recently because of the changes to how and when prisoners are released early – gov.uk’s guide for victims on the changes to prison release arrangements explains what that actually means if you’re registered with the scheme.
For victims of major incidents – disasters, terror attacks and the like – there is now an Independent Public Advocate, a role created by the same 2024 Act. Cindy Butts was appointed as the first permanent Standing Advocate in September 2025; her job is to help victims of a declared major incident find the right support and make sure their voices reach government.