General Information on Canadian Prisons

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Q: What is the difference between provincial corrections (BC Corrections) and federal (Correction Services of Canada)?

A: Provincial institutions supervise sentences of two years and under, federal institutions oversee sentences of longer than two years

Q: How many men and women are in Canadian prison on a given day?

A: In 2007/08, on a given day 36,330 adults and 2,018 youth aged 12 to 17 years were in custody in Canada, for a total of 38,348 inmates. [1]

• 2,668 of these were in British Columbia’s provincial system. [1]
• 13, 581 were in federal custody. [2]

In total, just over 251,500 adults were admitted to provincial or territorial jails in 2006/2007.

However there were only 84,450 admissions into provincial or territorial custody to serve a sentence. The difference is accounted for by the number of people held in custody while awaiting their trial or sentencing (remand).

Q: Is this number going up?

A: There are conflicting accounts at the federal level. According to Corrections Services Canada, the number of (federal) admissions has increased 9.2% in the last 10 years from 7,815 to 8,531. During the same time period, the total federal inmate population increased 3.3% from 22,108 to 22,831. [3] Statistics Canada reports higher increases.[4]

Q3: Is this the same for men and women?

A: In the last ten years, the number of women admitted to federal jurisdiction increased 32.3% from 232 in 1998-99 to 307 in 2007-08. During the same time period, there was an increase of 6.6% in the number of men admitted to federal jurisdiction. As of April 13, 2008, there were 495 women incarcerated in Canada under federal jurisdiction. [5]

Q: What is the average age of offenders in prison?

A: The average age of admission in to federal institutions is increasing, it is now 33. This is roughly the same for men and women. However, the average age of Aboriginal inmates is lower, 30. [6]

17% of the federal incarcerated population is age 50 or over.

Q: What are the most frequent complaints from people incarcerated in CSC?

A: Health care accounted for 13.3% of complaints followed by institutional transfers (8.7%), and cell property (8.1%). Together these accounted for 30% of all complaints. [7]

Q: What are the most frequent complaints from people incarcerated in CSC?

A: The percentage of individuals committed to federal jurisdiction with a mental health diagnosis at time of admission is increasing.

In 2007-08, 11.1% of individuals committed to federal jurisdiction had a mental health diagnosis at time of admission and 6.1% were receiving outpatient services prior to admission.

In 2007-08, 30.1% of female inmates compared to 14.5% of male offenders had previously been hospitalized for psychiatric reasons.

The percentage of federally incarcerated individuals prescribed medication for psychiatric concerns at admission has almost doubled from 11.0% in 1998-99 to 21.3% in 2007-08.

Female inmates are twice as likely as male inmates to have a mental health diagnosis at time of admission. [8]

In BC Corrections, in one seven year study, over 30% of the corrections population had been medically diagnosed with a substance use disorder. An additional 26% were diagnosed with a mental disorder unrelated to substance use. Among those people diagnosed with a substance use disorder, more than three quarters were also diagnosed with a non drug-related mental disorder (concurrent disorders). [9] Importantly, this does not necessarily include alcohol abuse, fetal alcohol syndrome or developmental disabilities which are not often diagnosed.

In BC, an estimated 80% of the female prison population has received a psychiatric diagnosis. [10]

Q: What is the Aboriginal population in federal prison?

A: As of April 13, 2008 Aboriginal women represent 33.1% of all incarcerated women while Aboriginal men represent 19.1% of incarcerated men.

In 2007-08, Aboriginal individuals represented 17.3% of the total federal prison population while Aboriginal adults represent 4.0% of the Canadian adult population (as per Canadian Census).

The number of federal Aboriginal inmates is increasing.

Q: What is the death rate in federal prisons?

A: In the ten-year period from 1996-97 to 2005-06, 532 individuals have died while in federal custody.

During this time period, suicides accounted for 20.9 % of inmate deaths. The suicide rate for federally incarcerated individuals was approximately 86.0 per 100,000 people*, significantly higher than Canada's 2004 rate of 11.3 suicides per 100,000 people. [11]

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[1] Figures from Statistics Canada. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/081209/dq081209a-eng.htm [Accessed 02/2010]

[2] Information on federal corrections came from a report titled Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview – 2008 and can be accessed on the CSC website at http://www.securitepublique.gc.ca/res/cor/rep/2008-04-ccrso-eng.aspx#b6 [accessed 02/2010]

[3] Information on federal corrections came from a report titled Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview – 2008 and can be accessed on the CSC website at http://www.securitepublique.gc.ca/res/cor/rep/2008-04-ccrso-eng.aspx#b6 [accessed 02/2010]

[4] From a Statistics Canada report titled Study: Changing profile of adults in custody. http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/081215/dq081215b-eng.htm [accessed 02/2010]

[5] Information on federal corrections came from a report titled Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview – 2008 and can be accessed on the CSC website at http://www.securitepublique.gc.ca/res/cor/rep/2008-04-ccrso-eng.aspx#b6 [accessed 02/2010]

[6] Information on federal corrections came from a report titled Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview – 2008 and can be accessed on the CSC website at http://www.securitepublique.gc.ca/res/cor/rep/2008-04-ccrso-eng.aspx#b6 [accessed 02/2010]

[7] Information on federal corrections came from a report titled Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview – 2008 and can be accessed on the CSC website at http://www.securitepublique.gc.ca/res/cor/rep/2008-04-ccrso-eng.aspx#b6 [accessed 02/2010]

[8] Information on federal corrections came from a report titled Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview – 2008 and can be accessed on the CSC website at http://www.securitepublique.gc.ca/res/cor/rep/2008-04-ccrso-eng.aspx#b6 [accessed 02/2010]

[9] Somers, Julian M, Cartar, L, Russo, J. Corrections, Health and Human Services: Evidence Based Planning and Evaluation. Simon Fraser University Faculty of Health Sciences. 2008.

[10] Somers, Julian M, Cartar, L, Russo, J. Corrections, Health and Human Services: Evidence Based Planning and Evaluation. Simon Fraser University Faculty of Health Sciences. 2008.

[11] Information on federal corrections came from a report titled Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview – 2008 and can be accessed on the CSC website at http://www.securitepublique.gc.ca/res/cor/rep/2008-04-ccrso-eng.aspx#b6 [accessed 02/2010]