Victim Services and Rights
The Montana Department of Corrections (DOC) Victim Services program implements person-centered, trauma-informed strategies to assist victims of crime who have experienced traumatic events. The DOC recognizes ongoing interaction with the criminal justice system, including events while the offender is under the supervision of DOC, can re-trigger trauma.
DOC Victim Services Offered- Victim notification and information
- Services to victims throughout offender's correctional sentence
- Information regarding restitution payments, if applicable
- Assistance with Victim Impact Statements and Pecuniary Loss Affidavits
- Victim/witness advocacy
- Provide information and support during Montana Board of Pardon and Parole hearings
- Information about other criminal justice and corrections agencies involvement in victim cases
- Referrals to resources for specialized services
- Training, education and public awareness
- Assistance with Orders of Protection, Parenting Plans and other civil legal paperwork
- To access Montana legal document forms, please visit DOJ Forms for Victims
- Crisis intervention
- Develop collaborative partnerships with victims, victim advocates, criminal justice agencies, community-based organizations and other community members
- Victim Restorative Justice opportunities
Please note the DOC does not offer financial assistance for safety planning.
Liaisons are not licensed attorneys, nor do they practice law. Any assistance with legal documents is limited to navigating the system.
Family Group Team Meetings
FGTM is a victim wrap-around meeting that brings together the victim, their support person(s), DOC staff members, and relevant community partners in a collaborative effort to develop a personalized safety plan for the victim and his or their family. The victim liaison facilitates this meeting at the request of the victim.
Unwanted Contact
The Victim Services program can assist if you receive unwanted contact from an incarcerated person, a person being supervised in the community by the DOC, or from anyone else on behalf of a person who is currently under the supervision of DOC.
Examples of unwanted contact include:
- Phone calls, email messages, or letters from a person who is prohibited by court order from communicating with you or another member of your household;
- Phone calls, email messages, or letters from a person that are threatening, harassing, intimidating, or persistently annoying;
- Phone calls, email messages, or letters that continue after you have told the person to stop communicating with you;
- Communication from someone you believe is acting on behalf of a person under the jurisdiction of the DOC, and you find threatening, harassing or intimidating, or that is in violation of a court order.
- Inmate outgoing mail and phone block form
PLEASE NOTE: if you have received unwanted contact in the form of voicemail messages or written messages – including letters, emails, text messages, messages through social media. Please do not discard, destroy or delete them. This evidence can be useful in holding individuals accountable for continued violations of court orders and imposed conditions.
For Order of Protection forms, visit the Montana Department of Justice Office of Victim Services. You may also contact your Community Victim Liaison for assistance.
If you have been threatened or are in immediate danger, please contact your local law enforcement.
Safety Planning
Contact a Victim Liaison if you require assistance developing a safety plan.
Department of Corrections Safety Plan Guide
Some victims wish to remain anonymous due to safety concerns. We cannot notify you about important custody changes that may affect you, such as the offender’s release from prison or placement in your community. We take seriously your need for confidentiality and do not share victim information with offenders.
- The right to information about all events related to the case.
- The right to have a prosecutor and/or victim advocate present when a victim is interviewed.
- The right to know the offender's location at all times from arrest until his or her release from supervision.
- The right to protection from intimidation, harassment, discrimination, and abuse throughout the criminal justice system.
- The right to attend court proceedings unless the court determines that the victim's absence is necessary to a fair trial.
- The right to one free copy of public documents in their case. Court documents are available from the Clerk of the Court in the county in which the case was prosecuted.
- Victims and immediate family members of sex crimes have the right to request that the sentencing judge, parole board or probation officer order the offender to have no contact with them.
- To learn more, statutes pertaining to victims are included in Title 46, Chapter 24 of the Montana Code Annotated (MCA) or the National Crime Victim Law Institute.
- Medical and dental bills
- Mental health counseling
- Stolen or damaged property
- Lost wages
- Travel and relocation costs
- Future expenses related to the crime
- Funeral costs for homicide victims
- Determining the actual amount of loss is easier if you keep copies of bills and receipts, and a list of all expenses related to the crime.
For more information on offender’s obligation to pay restitution and supervision fees, please visit Montana Probation and Parole Services.
Conditional Discharge from Supervision and Early Termination from a Deferred or Suspended Sentence
In Montana, if a person is convicted of a felony level crime and is serving probation and/or parole, there is a process called Conditional Discharge from Supervision or Early Termination of a Deferred or Suspended Status. This allows that person to petition the court to allow them to end probation early and then later terminate the sentence early with the courts. An offender eligible for a Conditional Discharge from Supervision or Early Termination of a Deferred or Suspended Sentence may petition the sentencing court to end their probation and/or parole early. .
As a victim, you have the right to be notified, ask questions and provide input regarding this process. For more information, please view the Conditional Discharge & Early Termination Information for Victims and contact the DOC Victim Services Program.
QUICK LINKS
CENTRAL OFFICE
Address: 5 S Last Chance Gulch StreetP.O. Box 201301
Helena, MT 59620-1301
Phone: (406) 444-3930