Notifications about offender status

The Victim Notification System (VNS) is a service that provides victims, and other registered parties, with telephone notifications when there are changes in the status of:

  • provincially incarcerated adult inmates
  • offenders who are under community supervision, such as probation, parole and conditional sentence

The service sends notifications that provide information about:

  • parole hearings
  • parole decisions
  • admissions to an institution
  • scheduled and actual releases
  • rescinded release decisions
  • unescorted temporary absence releases
  • transfers to other jurisdictions
  • escapes
  • recaptures
  • inmates unlawfully at large
  • intermittently sentenced inmates

How to register

Follow these steps to receive telephone notifications through the VNS.

  1. Call the Victim Support Line (VSL) at:
  2. You will be asked to leave a voice message that includes the following information:
    • your name
    • your telephone number
    • the name of the inmate you wish to inquire about
  3. Victim Notification System staff will return your call within one business day and give you:
    • releasable information about the inmate’s status
    • the option to register for the program

If you choose to register, you will be asked to select a 4-digit personal identification number (PIN).

Once you are registered

Once you are registered, you will receive an automated voice message by phone whenever there are changes in an inmate or offender’s status, who are currently under the ministry’s supervision. You must enter your 4-digit PIN each time you receive the notification call.

We will also send you a package by mail with information related to the VNS and other available services.

Removal from VNS

To be removed from the Victim Notification System, contact the VSL at 1-888-579-2888 to notify staff that you would like to unregister.

Call blocking inmates

Our call blocking service prevents inmates from contacting victims, witnesses or other concerned citizens, by telephone, while incarcerated in Ontario correctional facilities.

How to register

You can register to have calls blocked from an institution's telephones by calling the VSL at:

Select option 2, then option 1 to leave a message for a call back. When you receive your call back, you will be given the option to register for notifications or block the offender from calling.

Teletype (TTY) services

VNS and call blocking services offer TTY services to assist callers that are deaf and hard of hearing.

How to register

If you require TTY services and would like to register for the VNS or the call blocking service, call us Monday to Friday, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at:

We will send you a package by mail with information related to the VNS and other available services.

Other resources

National Victim Services

Correctional Service Canada provides National Victim Services to victims of federal offenders. These are offenders serving a sentence of two years or more.

Ontario Victim Services

The Ministry of the Attorney General offers Ontario Victim Services, which provides direct services to victims of crime across Ontario and funds community organizations that deliver support services to victims.