The Lack of Survivor-centered care in the Canadian Criminal Justice System

Survivor-centered care is when the justice system and loved ones of someone who has experienced trauma put aside their initial response and listen to the survivor to see what they need in that situation. For example, a very common response from a sibling, parent or friend of a victim is the need to exact revenge, often through violence. Instead of jumping into their initial instinct, survivor-centered care revolves around the survivor and respecting their wants and needs. Similarly, in the criminal justice system, this would look like the court taking into consideration what the survivor of the crime needs to rehabilitate and not entirely focus on the best course of action for the offender. This seems obvious, but is very crucial as the survivor needs to be placed at the center and helped by their support systems. 

There is an apparent and almost laughable lack of this in the Canadian Criminal Justice System. I have rarely, if ever, heard of a case where the courts considered the opinions of the harmed and let them have a say as to what the sentence of the accused should be. If the victim gets no real benefit by their offender being sentenced to prison, is it still the best course of action? I do not think that victims should be able to dictate what happens in a trial, but I do think that their opinions should be heard and considered when making decisions. It seems like we often forget that the victim has been affected by the crime the most and we should perhaps prioritize their healing process over the need for "justice".