NCJ Number
176662
Date Published
1998
Length
15 pages
Annotation
Data obtained on inmates who were in adult correctional facilities in Canada on October 5, 1996, showed over 37,000 inmates were housed in 151 provincial-territorial and 48 Federal facilities, a rate of 17 inmates per 10,000 adult population.
Abstract
Most Federal inmates (63 percent) were in medium-security facilities, while most provincial-territorial inmates were in multilevel facilities (40 percent) or maximum-security facilities (39 percent). About 63 percent of provincial-territorial inmates were sentenced inmates, 25 percent were on remand, and 10 percent were serving intermittent sentences. Individuals between 20 and 39 years of age were overrepresented in adult custodial populations. While Aboriginal persons accounted for approximately 2 percent of the adult population in Canada, they represented 17 percent of all adult inmates. Inmates had fewer years of education, were more likely to be unemployed at the time of admission, and were less likely to be married, compared to the adult population. Most provincial-territorial inmates had prior criminal histories; 83 percent had at least one previous adult conviction and 72 percent had a prior term of provincial- territorial incarceration. About 73 percent of Federal inmates were currently incarcerated for a crime against the person, in particular homicide or attempted murder and robbery. Among provincial-territorial inmates, 33 percent were currently incarcerated for a crime against the person, in particular robbery and sexual assault. About 45 percent of sentenced provincial-territorial inmates were serving terms of less than 6 months, while 50 percent of Federal inmates were serving terms of less than 6 years. For the seven Canadian jurisdictions reporting data, nearly 5 in 10 of provincial-territorial sentenced inmates were classified as being at high risk to reoffend. 8 tables and 10 figures