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.

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. 

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.