Skip Ribbon Commands
Skip to main content
An Official Pennsylvania Government Website
Translate
Begin Main Content Area

State Service Served in a State Facility FAQ

Answer
expand Question : How will I know if the offender filed an appeal in the criminal case in which I am a victim? ‎(1)

​You will only receive this notification if you request it. You will want to talk to the victim/witness coordinator in the district attorney’s office to let them know you want to be notified if any appeals are filed.

expand Question : I am a victim of an assault, who will tell me if the inmate escapes from custody? ‎(1)
expand Question : If the offender is terminally ill, could he be released to a nursing home, hospice or to his home? ‎(1)

​Yes, a new law was designed to allow judges to place prisoners in hospitals, long-term nursing care facilities, and hospice care locations. The hospice care location can include the offender’s home. The requirement is that the offender is terminally ill, expected by a treating physician to not live more than one year and is unable to get around on their own. The district attorney and the victim are entitled to receive notice and an opportunity to be heard. The victim/witness coordinator within the victim service program in the district attorney’s office will inform you of your opportunity to give prior comment on and receive a copy of the final order.

expand Question : Is there a chance the offender in my case could receive time off of their sentence and be released early and will I be told? ‎(1)
expand Question : I've heard that the offender that assaulted me and is serving his state sentence in a state facility has a terminal illness and wants to be released to reside in a hospice setting for medical care; will I be told if that happens? ‎(1)

​Yes, the victim/witness coordinator victim service program in the district attorney’s office will inform you of your opportunity to give prior comment on and to receive a copy of the final order involving a petition that was filed to place the offender into a hospice care location.

expand Question : The offender in the criminal case in which I was the victim was sentenced to serve 4 to 8 years state time but I heard that sometimes the Department of Corrections will ask the court to resentence an offender. Is that possible? ‎(1)
expand Question : The person who committed the crime against me was convicted but was found to be mentally ill and was sent to a state mental hospital. Will I be told of their release from the hospital? ‎(1)

​Yes, you can and register with the Department of Public Welfare Victim Notification Program and receive notice when they are released from the hospital, transferred or if they escape from the hospital. If the offender does escape you will also be notified when they are caught.

Since the offender was hospitalized at the time of sentencing you can contact the victim/witness coordinator in the district attorney’s office and request assistance in registering with the Program. The coordinator will provide you with an enrollment form that will require some basic information from you. The form also requests information about the offender that will need to be completed by the district attorney, jail warden, victim/witness coordinator or the Office of Victim Advocate.