About Us

What This Site Is For

Canada’s corrections system is split between two levels of government, and it confuses almost everyone who runs into it for the first time. Anyone serving a sentence of two years or more is the responsibility of the federal Correctional Service of Canada (CSC), with conditional release decisions made by the Parole Board of Canada (PBC). Anyone serving a sentence of less than two years, plus people held on remand awaiting trial or sentencing, is the responsibility of the corrections ministry of the province or territory in which they are detained. The two systems run on different statutes (federal Corrections and Conditional Release Act vs. provincial corrections legislation), have different records, different privacy frameworks, different victim-registration processes, and different family-contact procedures.

jail-roster.org/ is the practical reference for navigating both. We don't host custody records — Canadian law doesn't permit that and we wouldn't if it did. Instead, we explain what the federal system does, what each provincial system does, what's actually available to victims under the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights, what families and friends can do to contact someone in custody, and how Access-to-Information and Privacy Act requests work for corrections records.

We are completely independent. We are not affiliated with CSC, PBC, the Office of the Correctional Investigator, any provincial corrections ministry, any law-enforcement agency, or any court.

The Two-Level Canadian Corrections System

What You’ll Find on This Site

• The official CSC website and all federal-institution contact information — verified live
• Parole Board of Canada hearing schedules and the public Decision Registry — how to request a copy of a parole decision
• Victim registration walkthroughs — step-by-step instructions for the PBC Victims Portal and the CSC victim notification request
• The official CSC Victim Notification phone line (1-866-806-2275) and PBC Victim Information Line (1-866-789-4636)
• How to communicate with a federal inmate — visiting, mail, the inmate telephone system, and the allowed-call list
• Provincial corrections directories — the official provincial corrections ministry, their custody-locator policies, and the provincial inmate-message service line where one exists
• Provincial / territorial detention-centre directories — verified facility addresses and contact numbers
• Privacy Act and Access to Information Act request procedures — what corrections records can be obtained, by whom, and how to ask
• Provincial freedom-of-information procedures — for provincial corrections records (Ontario MFIPPA / FIPPA, BC FOIPPA, Quebec Act respecting Access to documents, etc.)
• Canadian Victims Bill of Rights walkthroughs — the four statutory rights (information, protection, participation, restitution) and how to file a complaint
• Sentence calculation explainers — using the National Office for Victims booklet
• Office of the Correctional Investigator complaints procedure — the independent federal ombudsman process

How We Find and Verify — The Seven-Step Process

1. Identify the right authoritative source. We start with the federal CSC, PBC, and Public Safety Canada websites, plus each provincial or territorial corrections ministry’s own corrections page.
2. Verify the URL is current. Federal and provincial corrections websites get redesigned and migrated. We click through every link before publication and confirm the destination is the actual page.
3. Verify phone numbers and registration forms. Toll-free victim lines and registration forms are tested where possible.
4. Document the process from the actual interface. Walkthroughs are written from on-screen content of the official agency, quoted verbatim where described.
5. Cross-check the legal framework. For federal procedures, we cite the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights, the Privacy Act, and the Access to Information Act. For provincial procedures, we cite the relevant provincial corrections statute and freedom-of-information / privacy law.
6. Note current procedural details, fees, and form numbers. Captured with a “last reviewed” date.
7. Editor sign-off. A second editor reviews the page end-to-end before publication.

Federal-Level Sources We Use

Who This Site Is For

• Victims of crime — registering with CSC or PBC for victim notification under the Canadian Victims Bill of Rights
• Family members and friends of someone in custody — figuring out how visiting, mail, and the inmate telephone system work in federal and provincial systems
• Defence counsel and paralegals — locating clients in custody and understanding institutional procedures
• Criminal-justice researchers and academics — finding primary-source corrections information and the Privacy Act / ATIP framework
• Journalists — covering parole hearings (which are open to observers under defined conditions), corrections-related stories, and the Office of the Correctional Investigator
• Citizen advocates and reform organizations — accessing PBC Decision Registry and the Office of the Correctional Investigator’s annual reports
• Members of Citizens’ Advisory Committees at federal institutions and equivalent provincial committees
• People applying for record suspension (formerly pardon) through the Parole Board of Canada
• Indigenous community workers — understanding the role of Indigenous Community Liaison Officers and culturally responsive corrections programs

What We Don’t Do

• We don’t hold custody records or operate any inmate-locator service. Canadian privacy law would not permit that and we would not if it did.
• We don’t accept victim registrations, parole-hearing observer applications, or any other filings — those go to CSC, PBC, or the relevant provincial corrections ministry
• We don’t provide legal advice. For criminal-defence questions, sentencing advice, or victim-impact-statement strategy, consult a licensed Canadian lawyer, your provincial Legal Aid program, or a Crown Victim/Witness Assistance Program
• We don’t operate as a Consumer Reporting Agency under any Canadian or U.S. equivalent — corrections information from this site cannot be used for employment, tenant screening, credit, or insurance decisions
• We don’t sell your data — see Privacy Policy for the position under PIPEDA, Quebec Law 25, and other Canadian privacy laws
• We don’t publish names, photos, or other identifying information of inmates, accused persons, victims, witnesses, or their family members

How We Pay for the Site

jail-roster.org/ is funded by display advertising. Editorial content is never altered to favour any advertiser. The official CSC, PBC, or provincial corrections portal always comes first on every page. We do not accept advertising from bail-bond services (which do not operate in Canada the way they do in the US), inmate communication-service resellers, or any commercial provider that targets vulnerable people in or connected to the justice system. The full position is on our Editorial Policy and Disclaimer.

Corrections and Feedback

Federal corrections, the Parole Board, and provincial corrections websites all change continually. Toll-free phone numbers move. Forms get updated. The Canadian Victims Bill of Rights amendments and the Corrections and Conditional Release Act amendments roll out on legislative timelines. If you spot something on the site that doesn’t match the current portal — a redirected URL, an outdated form, a wrong phone number — please email us. Reader-reported corrections are our priority queue and get a response within seven business days.