Highlights

• The over 232,800 adults admitted to some form of custody in 2005/2006 represented a 4% increase from the previous year. The increase was driven by a 6% climb in the number of admissions to remand (custody for persons awaiting trial or sentencing) in provincial/territorial facilities, and a 4% increase in admissions to federal custody. The number of admissions to provincial/territorial sentenced custody remained stable.

• Since 1996/1997, admissions to remand have grown steadily (+22%) while admissions to provincial/territorial sentenced custody have fallen (-28%).

• Compared to persons who were sentenced to provincial/territorial custody without being remanded, those who were remanded were more frequently admitted due to a violent offence, were more often under the age of 25 and were more frequently single and never married.

• With the exception of conditional sentences which decreased 2%, admissions to all types of community supervision programs increased in 2005/2006. In total, there were 109,539 adult offenders admitted to community supervision programs that year. These include probation (+2%), provincial parole (+6%) and releases from federal custody (i.e., federal conditional releases, day parole, full parole, statutory releases) (+4%).

• Aboriginal people continued to have high levels of representation in custody. According to the 2006 Census, Aboriginal people represented 4% of the adult population in Canada, yet they accounted for 24% of adult admissions to provincial/territorial custody, 19% of admissions to remand and 18% of admissions to federal custody.

• Overall, expenditures on adult correctional services in 2005/2006 totalled almost $3 billion, up 2% from the previous year.