NCJ Number
177899
Journal
Forum on Corrections Research Volume: 10 Issue: 1 Dated: January 1998 Pages: 3-7
Date Published
1998
Length
5 pages
Annotation
This article reports on some of the preliminary findings regarding the identification and quantification of factors that can explain Canada's rapid inmate population growth patterns.
Abstract
During the 5-year period 1989-90 to 1994-95, the inmate populations in Canada increased rapidly. Inmate populations have begun to recede from the peaks achieved in 1994 and 1995, and the correctional system growth rate appears to be slowing down. The crime rate in Canada began to decline in 1991, so the sudden growth in inmate populations was most likely attributable to a combination of other factors. This paper examines the three most plausible causes: a rapid increase in prison and penitentiary admissions; changes in the length of the average sentence handed down by the courts; and changes in the average length of time served in custody by offenders. There are not enough data available from the new Adult Court Survey of the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics to do a time series analysis, so conclusions cannot be drawn about sentencing trends. Of the three major factors examined, growth in new admissions is apparently the main factor in the sudden population growth in correctional institutions. The forces driving the growth in admissions cannot be answered from the data analyzed; further research is required. 2 tables, 5 figures, and 7 notes