2009 Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview

2009 Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview PDF Version (599 KB)

Section A: Context - Crime and the Criminal Justice System

Police-reported crime rate has been decreasing since 1991

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Source: Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada.

• The crime rate, since peaking in 1991, continues to decline. In 2008, the crime rate was the lowest recorded in the last 25 years.
• The property crime rate has declined by 50% since 1991, and in 2008, was also at its lowest in the last 25 years.
• Violent crime peaked in 1992, and has decreased by 14% to a rate of 932 per 100,000 in 2008. The 2008 violent crime rate was the lowest recorded since 1989.

Note:
Violent crimes include homicide, attempted murder, assault, sexual offences, abduction and robbery.
Property crimes include break and enter, motor vehicle thefts, other thefts, possession of stolen goods and fraud.
These crime statistics are based on crimes that are reported to the police. Since not all crimes are reported to the police, these figures underestimate actual crime. See Figure A6 for rates based on victimization surveys (drawn from the General Social Survey), an alternative method of measuring crime.
Data presented in this figure do not reflect the changes in the classification of violation groups as published in the Juristat article - "Police-reported crime statistics in Canada, 2008."

Source: Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada.

Note:
Rates are based on incidents reported per 100,000 population.
Due to rounding, rates may not add to Totals.
Data presented in this table do not reflect the changes in the classification of violation groups as published in the Juristat article - "Police-reported crime statistics in Canada, 2008."

Crime Rates are Higher in the West and Highest in the North

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Source: Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada.

• Crime rates are higher in the west and highest in the Territories. This general pattern has been stable over time.
• The Canadian crime rate dropped from 6,900 in 2007 to 6,589 in 2008.

Note:
The crime rate represents all Criminal Code incidents excluding traffic violations and other federal statutes, such as drug offences.
Data presented in this figure do not reflect the changes in the classification of violation groups as published in the Juristat article - "Police-reported crime statistics in Canada, 2008."

Source: Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada.

Note:
Rates are based on 100,000 population.
The crime rate represents all Criminal Code incidents excluding traffic violations and other federal statutes, such as drug offences.
Data presented in this table do not reflect the changes in the classification of violation groups as published in the Juristat article - "Police-reported crime statistics in Canada, 2008.

Canada's Incarceration Rate is High Relative to Most Western European Countries

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Source: World Prison Population List (Seventh Edition), International Centre for Prison Studies, World Prison Population List (Eighth Edition), International Centre for Prison Studies.

• Canada's incarceration rate is higher than the rates in most Western European countries but much lower than the United States, where the most recent incarceration rate was 756 per 100,000 general population.
• The incarceration rate in Canada has decreased 8% from 126 per 100,000 in 1997 to 116 per 100,000 in 2008.

Note:
The incarceration rate, in this figure, is a measure of the number of people (i.e., adults and youth) in custody per 100,000 people in the general population.
Incarceration rates from the World Prison Population List are based on the most recently available data at the time the list was compiled. Due to variations in the availability of information, the 2006 and 2008 dates reported in Table A2 refer to when the World Prison Population Lists were published, but may not necessarily correspond to the date the data was obtained. Additionally, different practices and variations in measurement in different countries limit the comparability of these figures.

Source: ¹World Prison Population List (Seventh Edition), International Centre for Prison Studies, ²World Prison Population List (Eighth Edition), International Centre for Prison Studies.

Note:
*Incarceration rates from the World Prison Population List are based on the most recently available data at the time the list was compiled. Due to variations in the availability of information, the 2006 and 2008 dates reported in Table A2 refer to when the World Prison Population Lists were published, but may not necessarily correspond to the date the data was obtained. Additionally, different practices and variations in measurement in different countries limit the comparability of these figures.
Rates are based on 100,000 population.
-- Figures not available.

The Rate of Adults Charged has Declined Since 1982

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Source: Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada.

• The rate of adults charged declined steadily from 1991 to 1999, and has fluctuated since.
• The rate of women charged with violent crimes doubled between 1984 and 2001, and has since leveled off at approximately 155 women charged per 100,000 women in the population. In comparison, the rate of men charged with violent crimes peaked in 1993 at 1,080 men charged per 100,000 men in the population and has since decreased to 762 in 2008.

Note:
Violent crimes include homicide, attempted murder, assault, sexual offences, abduction and robbery.
Property crimes include break and enter, motor vehicle thefts, other thefts, possession of stolen goods and fraud.
Total charged includes adults charged under the Criminal Code as well as adults charged under other Federal Statutes such as the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the Fisheries Act, the Customs Act, the Indian Act and the Employment Insurance Act but excludes provincial statute offences and municipal by-laws.

Source: Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada.

Note:
*Examples of other Federal Statutes include: the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, the Fisheries Act, the Customs Act, the Indian Act and the Employment Insurance Act.
**Total charged excludes provincial statute offences and municipal by-laws.
Rates are based on 100,000 population, 18 years of age and older.
Due to rounding, rates may not add to Totals.

Administration of Justice Charges Account For 24% of Charges in Adult Courts

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Source: Adult Criminal Court Survey, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada.

• Administration of justice charges (offences related to case proceedings such as failure to appear in court, failure to comply with a court order, breach of probation, and unlawfully at large) account for almost one quarter of charges before the courts.
• Apart from charges of administration of justice, impaired driving, which has decreased in each of the last three years, is the most frequent federal statute charge in adult courts.

Note:
The concept of a case has changed from previous editions of this report to more closely reflect court processing. Statistics from the Adult Criminal Court Survey used in this report should not be compared to those in previous editions of the Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview.
These statistics were previously reported in the 2008 Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview. No new data are available.

Source: Adult Criminal Court Survey, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada.

Note:
Weapons have been included under "Crimes Against the Person" in this report. The Adult Criminal Court Survey groups these offences under "Other Criminal Code". Table excludes Youth Criminal Justice Act/Young Offenders Act offences. The Adult Criminal Court Survey groups these offences under "Other Federal Statutes". Due to rounding, percentages may not add to 100 percent. Data from this survey are not nationally comprehensive as they do not include Manitoba for years prior to 2005-06. In addition, Superior Court data are not reported to the Adult Criminal Court Survey for Quebec, Ontario and Saskatchewan. The concept of a case has changed from previous editions of this report to more closely reflect court processing. Statistics from the Adult Criminal Court Survey used in this report should not be compared to those in previous editions of the Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview. These statistics were previously reported in the 2008 Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview. No new data are available.

Victimization Rates for Theft of Personal Property have Increased

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Source: General Social Survey, Statistics Canada, 1999 and 2004.

• Victimization rates for theft of personal property were higher in 2004 than in 1999
• Rates of victimization for assault were slightly lower in 2004 than in 1999.

Note:
*Assault data includes incidents of spousal violence. In previous editions of this document, the victimization data excluded incidents of spousal violence.
The next General Social Survey is in 2009.
Rates are based on 1,000 population, 15 years of age and older.
These statistics were previously reported in the 2008 Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview. No new data are available.

Source: General Social Survey, Statistics Canada, 1999 and 2004.

Note:
*Assault data includes incidents of spousal violence. In previous editions of this document, the victimization data excluded incidents of spousal violence.
The next General Social Survey is in 2009.
Rates are based on 1,000 population, 15 years of age and older.
These statistics were previously reported in the 2008 Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview. No new data are available.

The Majority of Victims of Violent Crime are Under 30

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Source: Incident-based Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada.

• More than half (53.5%) of all victims of violent crime reported in 2008 were under the age of 30, whereas 37.4% of the Canadian population is under the age of 30.
• Females aged 15 to 44 years were more likely than males of that age to be victims of a violent crime.
• Canadians aged 65 and older, who account for 13.7% of the general population, represent 2.1% of victims of violent crime.

Note:
Violent crimes include homicide, attempted murder, assault, sexual offences, abduction, robbery and traffic offences causing bodily harm and death.
The data do not represent 100% coverage. In 2008, 155 police services in all 10 provinces and 3 territories supplied data for the complete year to the UCR2 and represented approximately 98% of the population of Canada. The data excludes 4,661 cases where age was unknown, 2,076 cases where sex was unknown and 651 cases where both age and sex were unknown.
Due to rounding, totals may not add to 100 percent.

Source: Incident-based Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada

Note:
The data do not represent 100% coverage. In 2008, 155 police services in all 10 provinces and 3 territories supplied data for the complete year to the UCR2 and represented approximately 98% of the population of Canada. The data excludes 4,661 cases where age was unknown, 2,076 cases where sex was unknown and 651 cases where both age and sex were unknown.
Due to rounding, totals may not add to 100 percent.

Most Adult Custodial Sentences Ordered by the Court are Short

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Source: Adult Criminal Court Survey, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada.

• Over half (54.6%) of all custodial sentences imposed by adult courts are less than one month.
• Prison sentences for men tend to be longer than for women. Over two-thirds (69.9%) of women and just over half of men (52.9%) who are incarcerated upon conviction receive a sentence of one month or less, and 92.1% of women and 85.1% of men receive a sentence of six months or less.
• Of all convictions that result in custody, only 4.2% result in federal jurisdiction (i.e., a sentence of two years or more).

Note:
Due to rounding, totals may not add to 100 percent.
Excludes cases where length of prison sentence was not known.
Superior Court data are not reported to the Adult Criminal Court Survey for Quebec, Ontario and Saskatchewan.
The concept of case has changed in the Adult Criminal Court Survey to more closely reflect court processing. As a result, these figures should not be compared to the court statistics reported in previous editions of the Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview.
These statistics were previously reported in the 2008 Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview. No new data are available.

Source: Adult Criminal Court Survey, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada.

Note:
Due to rounding, totals may not add to 100 percent.
Excludes cases where length of prison sentence was not known.
Superior Court data are not reported to the Adult Criminal Court Survey for Quebec, Ontario and Saskatchewan.
The concept of case has changed in the Adult Criminal Court Survey to more closely reflect court processing. As a result, these figures should not be compared to the court statistics reported in previous editions of the Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview.
These statistics were previously reported in the 2008 Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview. No new data are available.

Relatively few crimes result in sentences to federal Penitentiaries

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Source: ¹Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Adult Criminal Court Survey and Adult Corrections Survey, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada; ²Correctional Service Canada.

• There were about 2.5 million crimes reported to police in 2008.
• During 2008-09, 4,825 offenders were sentenced to federal jurisdiction (i.e., two years or more).

Note:
*This figure only includes cases convicted in provincial court and partial data from Superior Court. The concept of case has changed in the Adult Criminal Court Survey to more closely reflect court processing. As a result, these figures should not be compared to the court statistics reported in previous editions of the Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview.
#These statistics were previously reported in the 2008 Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview. No new data are available.
Police data are reported on a calendar year basis whereas court and prison data are reported on a fiscal year basis (April 1 through March 31).

Source: ¹Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Adult Criminal Court Survey and Adult Corrections Survey, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada; ²Correctional Service Canada.

Note:
*This figure only includes cases convicted in provincial court and partial data from Superior Court. The concept of case has changed in the Adult Criminal Court Survey to more closely reflect court processing. As a result, these figures should not be compared to the court statistics reported in previous editions of the Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview.
#These statistics were previously reported in the 2008 Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview. No new data are available.
Police data are reported on a calendar year basis whereas court and prison data are reported on a fiscal year basis (April 1 through March 31).

The Rate of Youth Charged Peaked in 1991 and has Declined Steadily Since

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Source: Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada.

• The rate of youth* charged has decreased since 1991.
• In 2003, there was a notable decrease in all major crime categories, in part attributable to the implementation of the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA) in April 2003, which places greater emphasis on diversion.

Note:
*For criminal justice purposes, youth are defined under Canadian law as persons aged 12 to 17 years.
Violent crimes include homicide, attempted murder, assault, sexual offences, abduction and robbery.
Property crimes include break and enter, motor vehicle thefts, other thefts, possession of stolen goods and fraud.
In 2008, 43.3% of all youths charged with violent crimes were charged with assault level 1 (minor assault).

Source: Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada.

Note:
For criminal justice purposes, youth are defined under Canadian law as persons aged 12 to 17 years.
Rates for "Total" are based on 100,000 youth population (12 to 17 years).
Rates for "Females" are based on 100,000 female youth population (12 to 17 years) and rates for "Males" are based on 100,000 male youth population (12 to 17 years).

The Most Common Youth Court Case is Theft

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Source: Youth Court Survey, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada.

• Following the enactment of the Youth Criminal Justice Act in 2003, fewer youth are in court.
• Theft is the most common case in youth court.
• Homicides and related offences account for 0.1% of all youth cases.
• Females account for 22% of all cases, but they account for 35% of common assaults.

Note:
*"Administration of Justice" category includes the offences failure to appear, failure to comply, breach of recognizance, escape and unlawfully at large.
**Youth Criminal Justice Act offences include failure to comply with a disposition or undertaking, contempt against youth court, assisting a youth to leave a place of custody and harbouring a youth unlawfully at large. Also included are similar offences under the Young Offenders Act, which preceded the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
The concept of a case has changed in the Youth Court Survey to more closely reflect court processing. As a result, these figures should not be compared to the youth court statistics reported in previous editions of the Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview.
These statistics were previously reported in the 2008 Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview. No new data are available.

Source: Youth Court Survey, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada.

Note:
*"Other Administration of Justice" includes the offences failure to appear, failure to comply, and breach of recognizance.
**Youth Criminal Justice Act offences include failure to comply with a disposition or undertaking, contempt against youth court, assisting a youth to leave a place of custody and harbouring a youth unlawfully at large. Also included are similar offences under the Young Offenders Act, which preceded the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
The concept of a case has changed in the Youth Court Survey to more closely reflect court processing. As a result, these figures should not be compared to the youth court statistics reported in previous editions of the Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview.
These statistics were previously reported in the 2008 Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview. No new data are available.

Fewer youth are receiving custodial sentences under the YCJA

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Source: Youth Court Survey, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada.

• Consistent with the objectives of the YCJA, fewer youth are sentenced to custody. In 2006-07, about 17% of all guilty cases resulted in the youth being sentenced to custody. This compares to 27% of all guilty cases in 2002-03.
• In 2006-07, 59% of youth found guilty were given probation, down from 70% in 2002-03, the last year of the Young Offenders Act.
• Of the new YCJA sentences, deferred custody and supervision orders were handed down the most frequently. In 2006-07, 3% of all guilty cases received such an order.

Note:
*"Other" includes absolute discharge, restitution, prohibition, seizure, forfeiture, compensation, pay purchaser, essays, apologies, counseling programs and conditional discharge. Commencing in 2003-04, it also includes conditional sentence, intensive support and supervision, attendance at non-residential program and reprimand.
The concept of a case has changed in the Youth Court Survey to more closely reflect court processing. As a result, these figures should not be compared to the youth court statistics reported in previous editions of the Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview.
These statistics were previously reported in the 2008 Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview. No new data are available.

Source: Youth Court Survey, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada.

Note:
*"Other" includes absolute discharge, restitution, prohibition, seizure, forfeiture, compensation, pay purchaser, essays, apologies, counseling programs and conditional discharge. Commencing in 2003-04, it also includes conditional sentence, intensive support and supervision, attendance at non-residential program and reprimand.
The concept of a case has changed in the Youth Court Survey to more closely reflect court processing. As a result, these figures should not be compared to the youth court statistics reported in previous editions of the Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview.
These statistics were previously reported in the 2008 Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview. No new data are available.

Section B: Corrections Administration

Federal Expenditures on corrections increased in 2007-08

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Source: Correctional Service Canada; National Parole Board; Office of the Correctional Investigator, Statistics Canada Consumer Price Index.

• In 2007-08, expenditures on federal corrections in Canada totaled about $2.02 billion.
• Federal expenditures on corrections, in constant dollars, increased 19.1% from 2003-04 to 2007-08.
• The per capita cost adjusted for inflation was lower in 2003-04 than in 2007-08.
• Federal correctional expenditures represent less than 1% of the total federal government budget.
• Provincial/territorial expenditures totaled just under $1.64 billion in 2007-08 (see Adult Correctional Services Survey, Statistics Canada).

Note:
Federal expenditures on corrections include the spending by the Correctional Service Canada (CSC), the National Parole Board (NPB) and the Office of the Correctional Investigator (OCI). The expenditures for the CSC include both operating and capital costs. CSC expenditures exclude CORCAN (a Special Operating Agency that conducts industrial operations within penitentiaries).
Constant dollars represent dollar amounts calculated on a one-year base (2002) that adjusts for inflation allowing the yearly amounts to be directly comparable. Changes in the Consumer Price Index were used to calculate constant dollars.

Source: Correctional Service Canada; National Parole Board; Office of the Correctional Investigator, Statistics Canada Consumer Price Index.

Note:
Due to rounding, constant dollar amounts may not add to "Total".
Per capita cost is calculated by dividing the total expenditures by the total Canadian population and thus represents the cost per Canadian for federal correctional services.
Constant dollars represent dollar amounts calculated on a one-year base (2002) that adjusts for inflation allowing the yearly amounts to be directly comparable.
Changes in the Consumer Price Index were used to calculate constant dollars.

CSC Employees are concentrated in custody centres

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Source: Correctional Service Canada.

• The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) has a total staff of about 16,500.**
• Approximately 76% of CSC staff work in institutions.
• Staff employed in community supervision account for 8% of the total.

Note:
*These parole officers are situated within institutions, with the responsibility of preparing offenders for release.
**CSC has changed its definition of employee. Previously the total number of employees included casual employees, employees on leave without pay and suspended employees. These categories have been removed from the total as of 2005-06. These numbers represent active employees as of March 31, 2009.

Source: Correctional Service Canada.

Note:
*These parole officers are situated within institutions, with the responsibility of preparing offenders for release.
**The "Other" category represents job classifications such as trades and food services.
***CSC has changed its definition of employee. Previously the total number of employees included casual employees, employees on leave without pay and suspended employees. These categories have been removed from the total as of 2005-06. These numbers represent active employees as of March 31, 2009.
Due to rounding, percentages may not add to 100.

The cost of keeping an inmate incarcerated has increased

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Source: Public Accounts of Canada, Correctional Service Canada.

• The federal average daily inmate cost has increased from $228 in 2003-04 to $278 in 2007-08.
• In 2007-08, the annual average cost of keeping an inmate incarcerated was $101,666 per year, up from $83,276 per year in 2003-04. In 2007-08, the annual average cost of keeping a male inmate incarcerated was $99,205 per year, whereas the annual average cost for incarcerating a woman was $182,506.
• It costs substantially less to maintain an offender in the community than to keep that individual incarcerated ($24,825 per year versus $101,666 per year).

Note:
The average daily inmate cost includes those costs associated with the operation of the institutions such as salaries and employee benefit plan contributions, but excludes capital expenditures and expenditures related to CORCAN (a Special Operating Agency that conducts industrial operations within penitentiaries).
In 2001-02, the cost allocation methodology was refined to better reflect expenditures directly related to offenders. In addition, the cost of keeping a woman incarcerated includes the cost of maximum security units for women co-located within institutions for men.

Source: Public Accounts of Canada, Correctional Service Canada

Note:
The average daily inmate cost includes those costs associated with the operation of the institutions such as salaries and employee benefit plan contributions, but excludes capital expenditures and expenditures related to CORCAN (a Special Operating Agency that conducts industrial operations within penitentiaries).
In 2001-02, the cost allocation methodology was refined to better reflect expenditures directly related to offenders. In addition, the cost of keeping a woman incarcerated includes the cost of maximum security units for women co-located within institutions for men.

The number of National Parole Board employees

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Source: National Parole Board.

• The total number of full-time equivalents used by the National Parole Board has increased since 1999-00.

Note:
Section 103 of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act limits the National Parole Board to 45 full-time members.

Source: National Parole Board.

Note:
*As of 2006-07, the Receiver General and Treasury Board Secretariat reporting requirements have been changed from Business Line to Strategic Outcome. Consequently, data regarding Conditional Release Openness and Accountability is unavailable prior to 2006-07.
**The National Parole Board transferred the Information Technology function to Correctional Services of Canada effective April 1^st, 2007. This represented a reduction of 23 full-time equivalents.
Section 103 of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act limits the National Parole Board to 45 full-time members.

The number of employees in the Office of the Correctional Investigator

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Source: Office of the Correctional Investigator.

• The total number of full-time equivalents at the Office of the Correctional Investigator has remained stable over the past five years.
• In 2008-09, approximately 6,100 complaints/inquires* were received by the Office of the Correctional Investigator.

Note:
*The Office of the Correctional Investigator (OCI) may commence an investigation on receipt of a complaint by or on behalf of an offender or on its own initiative. Complaints are made by telephone, letter and during interviews with the OCI's investigative staff at federal correctional facilities. The dispositions in response to complaints involve a combination of internal responses (where the information or assistance sought by the offender can generally be provided by the OCI's investigative staff) and investigations (where, further to a review/analysis of law, policies and documentation, OCI investigative staff make an inquiry or several interventions with Correctional Service Canada and submit recommendations to address the complaint). Investigations vary considerably in terms of scope, complexity, duration and resources required.

Source: Office of the Correctional Investigator.

Health care is the most common area of offender complaint received by the Office of the Correctional Investigator

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Source: Office of the Correctional Investigator.

• There were 6,059 complaints/inquires* received at the Office of the Correctional Investigator in 2008-09.
• Health care (14.0%), institutional transfers (7.4%), and administrative segregation (7.0%) accounted for 28% of all complaints.
• The number of individual complaints processed by the OCI has decreased in recent years because the OCI has reallocated resources to sharpen its focus on systemic and death in custody investigations.

Note:
*The Office of the Correctional Investigator (OCI) may commence an investigation on receipt of a complaint by or on behalf of an offender or on its own initiative. Complaints are made by telephone, letter and during interviews with the OCI's investigative staff at federal correctional facilities. The dispositions in response to complaints involve a combination of internal responses (where the information or assistance sought by the offender can generally be provided by the OCI's investigative staff) and investigations (where, further to a review/analysis of law, policies and documentation, OCI investigative staff make an inquiry or several interventions with Correctional Service Canada and submit recommendations to address the complaint). Investigations vary considerably in terms of scope, complexity, duration and resources required.

Source: Office of the Correctional Investigator.

Note:
*The Office of the Correctional Investigator (OCI) may commence an investigation on receipt of a complaint by or on behalf of an offender or on its own initiative. Complaints are made by telephone, letter and during interviews with the OCI's investigative staff at federal correctional facilities. The dispositions in response to complaints involve a combination of internal responses (where the information or assistance sought by the offender can generally be provided by the OCI's investigative staff) and investigations (where, further to a review/analysis of law, policies and documentation, OCI investigative staff make an inquiry or several interventions with Correctional Service Canada and submit recommendations to address the complaint). Investigations vary considerably in terms of scope, complexity, duration and resources required.
**Other refers to other types of complaints not specified in the table and includes Claims Against the Crown, Community Programs/Supervision, Correspondence, Death or Serious Injury, General Decision/Implementation, Diet, Discipline, Discrimination, Food Services, Harassment, Health and Safety/ Worksite, Ion Scan/Drug Dog, Mental Health, Methadone, Official Languages, Operation/Decisions of the OCI, Release Procedures, Request for Information, Search and Seizure, Sentence Administration/Calculation, Temporary Absence Decision, Urinalysis and Use of Force.
The number of individual complaints processed by the OCI has decreased in recent years because the OCI has reallocated resources to sharpen its focus on systemic and death in custody investigations.

Section C: Offender Population

Federal offenders under the jurisdiction of Correctional Service of Canada

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Source: Correctional Service Canada.

Definitions:

Total Offender Population includes male and female federal offenders who are incarcerated (serving their sentences in federal or provincial institutions and those on temporary absence), offenders who are temporarily detained, actively supervised, on bail, escaped, unlawfully at large and those that have been deported.

Incarcerated includes male and female federal offenders serving their sentences in federal or provincial institutions.

Community Supervision includes federal offenders on day parole, full parole, statutory release, or in the community supervised on a long term supervision order, as well as those who are temporarily detained or paroled for deportation.

Actively Supervised includes federal offenders on day parole, full parole or statutory release, as well as those who are in the community on long-term supervision orders.

On Bail includes offenders on a judicial interim release; they have appealed their conviction or sentence and have been released to await the results of a new trial.

Temporarily Detained includes offenders who are physically held in a provincial detention centre or a federal institution after being suspended for a breach of a parole condition or to prevent a breach of parole conditions.

Deported includes offenders for whom a deportation order has been enforced by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.

Escaped includes offenders who have absconded from either a correctional facility or while on a temporary absence and whose whereabouts are unknown.

Unlawfully at Large includes offenders who have been released to the community on day parole, full parole, statutory release or a long term supervision order for whom a warrant for suspension has been issued, but has not yet been executed.

Source: Correctional Service Canada.

Note:
It is possible for an offender under federal jurisdiction to serve his or her sentence in a provincial institution. The data presented include these offenders as they are still under federal jurisdiction.

The number of incarcerated federal offenders decreased in 2008-09

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Source: Correctional Service Canada.

• Following consecutive increases in the federal incarcerated offender population from 2004-05 to 2007-08, there was a decease in 2008-09.
• The provincial/territorial sentenced offender population in custody decreased from 1999-00 to 2007-08 while the remand population increased during this period. Since 2005-06, the number of remanded inmates exceeded the number of sentenced inmates in provincial/territorial custody.**

Note:
*The data reflect the number of offenders incarcerated at the end of each fiscal year. A fiscal year runs from April 1 to March 31 of the following year.
The term "incarcerated federal offenders" refers to those offenders serving a sentence of two years or more who are currently serving their sentence in a federal or provincial correctional facility. These numbers include those offenders who are in the community on some form of temporary absence at the time of the count. These numbers do not include those offenders who have had their supervision period suspended and are temporarily detained, those offenders who are on bail, or those offenders who have escaped and have not yet been recaptured at the time of the count.
**Source: Adult Correctional Services Survey - Corrections Key Indicator Report for Adults and Young Offenders, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada

Source: ¹Correctional Service Canada.; ²Adult Correctional Survey - Corrections Key Indicator Report for Adults and Young Offenders, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada

Note:
Incarcerated includes male and female federal offenders serving their sentences in federal or provincial institutions.
The figures for federal offenders reflect yearly snapshots as of the last day of each fiscal year. A fiscal year runs from April 1 to March 31 of the following year.
The figures for provincial and territorial offenders reflect annual average counts.
-- Data not available.

The number of admissions to federal jurisdiction has decreased

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Source: Correctional Service Canada.

• After peaking at 8,614 in 2006-07, the number of admissions has decreased by 4.5% to 8,226 in 2008-09.
• The number of warrant of committal admissions has fluctuated over the past decade, and decreased by 3.7% from 2007-08 to 2008-09.
• The number of women admitted to federal jurisdiction under warrants of committal increased from 236 in 2004-05 to 313 in 2008-09.

Note:
*"Other" includes transfers from other jurisdictions (exchange of services), terminations, transfers from foreign countries, and admissions where a release is interrupted as a consequence of a new conviction.
These numbers refer to the federal jurisdiction admissions during each fiscal year and may be greater than the actual number of offenders admitted, since an individual offender may be admitted more than once in a given year. A fiscal year runs from April 1 to March 31 of the following year.

Source: Correctional Service Canada.

Note:
*"Other" includes transfers from other jurisdictions through exchange of services, terminations, transfers from foreign countries, and admissions where a release is interrupted as a consequence of a new conviction.
These numbers refer to the federal jurisdiction admissions during each fiscal year and may be greater than the actual number of offenders admitted, since an individual offender may be admitted more than once in a given year. A fiscal year runs from April 1 to March 31 of the following year.

The number of women admitted from the courts to federal jurisdiction has increased over the past decade

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Source: Correctional Service Canada.

• In the last ten years, the number of women admitted to federal jurisdiction increased 37.9% from 227 in 1999-00 to 313 in 2008-09. During the same time period, there was an increase of 9.5% in the number of men admitted to federal jurisdiction.
• In the last three years, the number of women admitted to federal jurisdiction under warrants of committal has fluctuated little, between 308 and 318.
• Overall, women continue to represent a small proportion of the total number of admissions (i.e., 6.5% in 2008-09).
• As of April 12, 2009, there were 500 women incarcerated in Canada under federal jurisdiction.

Note:
A warrant of committal is a new admission to federal jurisdiction from the courts.

Source: Correctional Service Canada.

Note:
A warrant of committal is a new admission to federal jurisdiction from the courts.

Offender age at admission to federal jurisdiction is increasing

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Source: Correctional Service Canada.

• In 2008-09, 36.5% of offenders admitted to federal jurisdiction were between the ages of 20 and 29, and 27.2% were between 30 and 39 years of age.
• The distribution of age upon admission is similar for both men and women.
• The median age of the population upon admission has increased from 31 in 1999-00 to 33 in 2008-09.
• The number of offenders between the ages of 40 and 49 at admission has increased from 686 (15.8%) in 1999-00 to 1,056 (21.9%) in 2008-09, whereas the number of offenders between the ages of 30 and 34 decreased from 754 (17.3%) in 1999-00 to 670 (13.9%) in 2008-09.

Note:
A warrant of committal is a new admission to federal jurisdiction from the courts.

Source: Correctional Service Canada.

Note:
A warrant of committal is a new admission to federal jurisdiction from the courts.
Due to rounding, percentages may not add to 100 percent.

The average age at admission is lower for Aboriginal offenders than for non-Aboriginal offenders

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Source: Correctional Service Canada.

• Of those offenders admitted to federal jurisdiction in 2008-09, 45.2% of Aboriginal offenders were under the age of 30, compared to 38.6% of non-Aboriginal offenders.
• The median age of Aboriginal offenders at admission is 31, compared to a median age of 34 for non-Aboriginal offenders.

Note:
A warrant of committal is a new admission to federal jurisdiction from the courts.

Source: Correctional Service Canada.

Note:
A warrant of committal is a new admission to federal jurisdiction from the courts.
Due to rounding, percentages may not add to 100 percent.

18% of the federal incarcerated offender population is age 50 or over

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Source: Correctional Service Canada; Statistics Canada.

• In 2008-09, 56.1% of incarcerated offenders were under the age of 40 while 38.7% of the Canadian population was under the age of 40.
• In 2008-09, 17.9% of the incarcerated federal offender population was aged 50 and over, while 41.9% of the Canadian population was aged 50 and over.
• The community federal offender population was older than the incarcerated population; 28.9% of offenders in the community were aged 50 and over, compared to 17.9% of the incarcerated offenders in this age group.

Note:
*Preliminary Postcensal Estimates, July 1, 2008; Demography Division, Statistics Canada.
Incarcerated includes male and female federal offenders serving their sentences in federal or provincial institutions, as well as those on temporary absence.