Adult correctional services

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About 6 out of every 10 adults admitted to provincial or territorial custody in the fiscal year 2005/2006 were being held in remand while they awaited trial or sentencing, according to a new report.

The report, "Adult correctional services in Canada," published today by the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, pointed to a large shift in the composition of adults admitted to custody during a 10-year period.

The report analyzes trends in the supervision of adults in custody and in the community, as well as operating costs of correctional services. In addition, for the first time, it examines characteristics of offenders who have been placed on remand.

In 1996/1997, the number of adults remanded to custody to await further court appearances was virtually the same as the number admitted to a term of sentenced custody.

Since then, however, the number of admissions to remand in provincial and territorial prisons has increased 22%, while the number of admissions to provincial/territorial sentenced custody has declined by almost 28%.

As a result, admissions to remand in 2005/2006 represented 59% of admissions to provincial or territorial prisons, while admissions to sentenced custody accounted for 35%. Temporary detention admissions accounted for the remainder at 7%.

Several factors may have accounted for the growth in remand and the decline in sentenced custody. They include changes in laws governing sentencing and remand, characteristics of the accused and the time taken to process cases.

In 2005/2006, just over 224,500 adults were admitted to some form of custody in provincial or territorial facilities, up 3.7% from the previous year. This year-over-year increase was driven by a 5.8% jump in the number of admissions to remand. The number of admissions to provincial/territorial sentenced custody remained virtually stable.

In addition, nearly 8,300 adults were admitted to custody in federal prisons in 2005/2006, bringing total admissions for the nation to nearly 233,000.

Accused spending more time in remand custody

Along with the growth in admissions to remand, there has been a general trend towards longer periods of remand custody during the 10-year period among the eight reporting jurisdictions.

Most adults who have been remanded still spend less than one week in custody, but the proportion has declined substantially.

In 1996/1997, about 62% of adults in remand spent one week or less in custody; by 2005/2006, this proportion had declined to 54%.

In contrast, during the same period, the proportion of remanded adults who spent three or more months in detention increased from 4% to 7%.

Among the nine jurisdictions that consistently reported data, most have experienced an increase in the lengths of remand custody.

Quebec reported the shortest periods. In 2005/2006, about 70% of all remanded adults in Quebec were held for a week or less, while 13% were held longer than one month.

Remanded adults more often charged with violent crimes than non-remanded sentenced inmates

The characteristics of adults who were remanded and those of sentenced inmates who were never remanded differ in some important respects, according to data from five provinces: Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, New Brunswick and Saskatchewan.

In 2005/2006, 40% of remanded adults were charged with a violent crime, compared with 16% of inmates who were not remanded but received a prison sentence upon conviction.

Inmates who were never remanded but were sentenced to custody were most often convicted of traffic offences and non-Criminal Code offences, such as default on fine payments.

The remanded population was generally younger than the non-remanded sentenced population. For example, 29% of remanded inmates were below the age of 25, compared with 20% of sentenced inmates who were never remanded.

Remanded offenders also had lower levels of education. About 43% of offenders remanded to custody had at a minimum graduated from high school, compared with 48% of non-remanded offenders.

Additional data from Saskatchewan were collected on inmates' assessed treatment needs. These needs include: attitude; criminal peers/social interactions; drug or alcohol abuse; employment; family/marital relationships; and emotional stability.

For both populations, the most frequently identified need was substance abuse. For all six needs, the proportion of remanded inmates with a need was higher than the rate for those who were not remanded but sentenced to custody.

Remanded inmates in Saskatchewan had a greater number of these needs than sentenced offenders who had not been remanded. In particular, 41% of remanded inmates indicated that they had five to six needs, compared with 29% of non-remanded sentenced inmates.

Community supervision: More offenders placed on probation

The vast majority (93%) of all admissions to community supervision are the responsibility of the provinces and territories. Admissions to full parole, day parole and statutory release fall under the responsibility of the Correctional Service of Canada, and account for 7% of total community admissions.

In 2005/2006, nearly 101,900 people were put under some form of community supervision in the provinces and territories, up 1.6% from the previous year.

Community supervision consists of probation, which accounted for 74% of the total, conditional sentences, 17%, federal releases (e.g., full parole, day parole), 7%, and provincial parole, 2%.

This increase in community supervision was driven by a 2.2% gain in the number of offenders who were placed on probation, which reached over 81,400.

Available on CANSIM: tables 251-0001 to 251-0003 and 251-0007.

Definitions, data sources and methods: survey number 3306.

The Juristat: "Adult correctional services in Canada 2005/2006," Vol. 28, no. 6 (85-002-XIE, free) is now available. From the Publications module of our website, choose Free Internet publications, then Crime and justice. A paper version (85-002-XPE, $11/$100) is also available.

Data tables are also available. From the Summary tables module of our website, choose Subject, then Crime and justice.

For more information, or to enquire about concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact Information and Client Services (toll-free 1-800-387-2231; 613-951-9023), Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics.

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