Canberra's support service for victims of crime is facing unprecedented demand, highlighted by a sharp increase in the number of victim registrations across the territory.
A major driver of this growth is the adult offenders register, which supports people victimised by adult offenders serving a prison sentence or community supervision orders in the ACT.
Historically administered by ACT Corrective Services (ACTCS), the adult offenders register was officially transferred to Victim Support ACT (VSACT) - a service within the Human Rights Commission - in December 2022.
There were 149 people on the register at the time of the handover.
According to Victims of Crime Commissioner Juliette Ford, who oversees VSACT, the adult offenders register has since expanded to 504 people, representing a 238 per cent increase.
Since taking over the adult register, VSACT has also broadened its scope to support two other groups, taking on administration for the youth justice register and the affected persons register.
The youth justice register, which transferred to VSACT from the Justice and Community Services Directorate in May 2022, now comprises 42 people who have been victimised by a minor.
Before this transition, commissioner Ford said there was "no significant victim engagement for people affected by crime committed by a young person."
Additionally, VSACT now assists the ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (ACAT) in administering the affected persons register, which currently has 17 people registered.
This register supports individuals victimised by a forensic patient, a defendant or offender who is found not to have the mental competence or ability to commit the offence or stand trial.
Commissioner Ford said a team of four staff members was responsible for providing updates to a total of 563 people across all three victim registers, and keeping them informed about the management of an offender's sentence once that information is shared by corrective services.
"VSACT is led by victims about the amount of information they wish to receive," the commissioner said, adding that many victims were thankful for their advocacy and information provided.
"Some victims want to receive minimal information about the offender, and only information that might directly impact them such as applications for release."
Amid the register's expansion, The Canberra Times reported a "systemic gap" between VSACT and ACT Corrective Services (ACTCS) where VSACT had not received any updates from ACTCS regarding prisoner security classifications since December 2022.
This was revealed in July 2025 when double murderer Scott McDougall, detained at the Alexander Maconochie Centre, applied for the transitional release program, a program for detainees with a minimum security classification and approaching eligibility for release.
McDougall, in his 50s, is serving two life sentences for the murders of Julie Tattersall and Struan Bolas in 2008 and an additional five years for arson for trying to destroy the evidence.
While there was no non-parole period specified in McDougall's sentence, according to ACT laws, offenders who serve 10 years of a life sentence can apply to the attorney-general for early release on a licence.
The "systemic gap" caused deep distress to Ms Tattersall's family members who were shocked her killer had applied for a Canberra jail release program and that VSACT failed to tell them his security classification had been downgraded to minimum.
"That hurts the most that there are so many of us on that register for victims of crime and when this policy was changing and when all the communication was stopped, not one person from the victim's register or the Human Rights Commission thought, 'Hang on a minute, what about the victims?'," Amy Butterworth, Ms Tattersall's sister, said.
"None of us were notified because they didn't care."
McDougall's application to the transitional release program sparked serious concerns among victims' families, community members and police, before it was eventually rejected.
In response to the backlash, the ACT Corrective Services Commissioner Leanne Close said the agency would bring forward a scheduled review of the transitional release program policy and include consultation with victims.
At the time of writing, victims were still waiting to be contacted about the review, which was set to begin in early 2026.
Asked about delays, an ACTCS spokesman told this masthead the government was finalising a consultation paper for stakeholder involvement, and the official engagement and consultation process was planned to run throughout July and August 2026.
He said the ACTCS would work with the Victims of Crime Commission to ensure victims have opportunities to engage in the process, while also offering avenues for victims to provide feedback directly to corrective services.
Commissioner Ford, appointed in February 2026, told this masthead she had not been briefed about VSACT's "systemic gap" and in a later statement said the victims registers did not have direct access to security classification information, and relied on ACT Corrective Services (ACTCS) to provide such updates.
In practice, the existing policy means VSACT would only be notified if a detainee applied for the transitional release program, the commissioner said.
"Noting the upcoming review of the [transitional release program] policy, we welcome the opportunity to provide input related to security classifications held by ACTCS," Commissioner Ford said.
Ms Butterworth hoped the government would amend the TRP policy to explicitly block life-sentenced prisoners in the most violent categories from being eligible for community-based transition programs.
"I just think it's a waste of taxpayers' money," Ms Butterworth said pointing to the trial judge's remarks, during McDougall's sentencing in 2011, that her sister's killer should never be released.
Ms Butterworth said the transitional release program policy should prioritise community safety and ensure traumatised families were not forced to fight against an offender's release applications year after year.
