Highlights

• In 2004/2005, there were about 31,700 young persons (aged 12 to 17 years) admitted to correctional services. Of those, 15,900 (50%) admissions were to custody and 15,800 (50%) admissions were to community supervision, with the majority (12,900 or 81%) of community supervision admissions being to probation.

• There were approximately 2,200 admissions to each of secure and open custody. The majority of admissions to custody (72% or 11,500) were to remand (pre-trial detention).

• Although admissions to remand decreased 7% from 2003/2004, as a proportion of total admissions to correctional services it was up to almost 36% in 2004/2005, from 34% in the previous year.

• Aboriginal youth are highly represented within correctional services. Nearly one-third of all females and just over one-in-five males admitted to sentenced custody were Aboriginal. Overall, Aboriginal youth made up one-quarter of all sentenced custody admissions in 2004/2005, yet they represent approximately 5% of the total youth population.

• On any given day in 2004/2005, there were approximately 13,200 young persons either in custody or under supervised probation in Canada. The majority of young persons in correctional services were on probation (87%), while 10% were in sentenced custody, and 3% were in remand.

• Coinciding with a decline in the youth crime rate, both the total rate of youth incarceration (sentenced custody and remand) and the probation rate decreased in 2004/2005 – by 9% and 15% respectively.