Crime and justice

Description:

This issue of Juristat focuses on police-reported impaired driving and other traffic offences under the Criminal Code. In addition, analysis is provided on cases of impaired driving and other traffic violations processed in provincial adult criminal courts. The bulk of the analysis is based on police-reported impaired driving statistics, which refer to (1) incidents known to and substantiated by police and (2) persons charged with impaired driving. It touches on a number of points that may be useful in analysing and understanding a behaviour that is considered by some to be a major problem in our society. Included are the possible effects of legislation on impaired driving; identification of variables that may be contributing to trends; methods used by the police to combat the problem; and a brief explanation of dangerous driving. The data cover the period up to 2002.

Description:

This article focuses on children who were aged 4 to 7 in 1994, and examines levels of anxiety and aggression in relation to their exposure to violence in the home. The evidence that emerges of the short- and longer-term effects on their behaviour and emotions is compelling.

Description:

This annual report is an examination of homicide in Canada. Detailed information is presented on the characteristics of homicide incidents (murder, manslaughter and infanticide) and, within the context of both short and long-term trends, the victims and accused. Geographical patterns of homicide are examined at the national and provincial/territorial levels, as well as for major metropolitan areas. Other key themes include international comparisons of homicide, gang-related homicides, firearm-related homicides, youth homicide and family (including spousal) homicides. The data are intended to respond to the needs of those who work in the criminal justice system, as well as to inform researchers, policy analysts, academics, the media and the public on the nature and extent of homicide in Canada.

Description:

Custodial remand occurs when a person is ordered by the court to be held in custody while awaiting a further court appearance. While rates of crime and sentenced custody have been generally decreasing, the use of custodial remand has been increasing steadily, progressively comprising a larger share of the incarcerated population.

This special topic Juristat provides an overview of incarceration trends, focussing on changes in the use of custodial remand. A variety of factors and data sources are also examined in order to provide insights into why the use of custodial remand may be increasing. Factors examined include the changes in the violent crime rate, the use of time served sentences, increasing duration of remand, implementation of conditional sentences (and conditional sentence breaches), and changes to the Criminal Code.

Description:

This issue of Juristat presents statistical information on the extent and nature of sexual offences in Canada. Rates of sexual offences are examined at the national and provincial/territorial levels and for major metropolitan areas. Data used in the report include police statistics from the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey and the Homicide Survey and court data from the Adult Criminal Court Survey and the Youth Court Survey. This Juristat also presents analysis from the 1999 General Social Survey on Victimization and takes into account historical and recent amendments to the Criminal Code concerning sexual offences. Other topics include child pornography, trafficking of persons for the purpose of sexual exploitation, child prostitution, dating violence and homicides involving sexual violence.

Description:

This report is an examination of 2002 police-reported crime in Canada. Data are presented within the context of both short and long-term trends. The analysis focuses on trends in violent crime, property crime, impaired driving offences, drug offences and youth crime. Crime rates are examined at the national, provincial/territorial and census metropolitan area levels. The trend in Canada’s crime rate is put into perspective by comparing it with the United States and England and Wales. Detailed information on incidents and accused persons is also presented where appropriate.

Description:

This report provides the most recent information from the 2001/02 Transition Home Survey. It surveys facilities providing residential services for abused women conducted every two years. Questionnaires are mailed to every known facility identified as providing residential services (shelter) to abused women in each province and territory. Information is collected on the characteristics of the facilities and the services provided during the previous 12 months. The survey also provides a one-day snapshot of the characteristics of women and children residing in shelters on a specific day. For the 2001/02 survey, the snapshot day was April 15, 2002. In 2001/02, some 92% of shelters responded to the survey. Where possible, comparisons are made with the 1997/98 and 1999/00 Transition Home surveys.

Description:

This chapter focusses on the nature and extent of spousal violence and on the police response to incidents reported to them.

Description:

This chapter focusses on violence and homicides committed against older adults by family members as reported to police forces across Canada in 2001. In addition, trends over time are examined.

Description:

This chapter focusses on physical and sexual assaults and homicides committed against children and youth (under the age of 18) and reported to police forces across the country. In addition, system responses to the problem of child maltreatment are examined.

Description: This table contains 75 series, with data for years 1998 - 2000 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years), and is no longer being released. This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (15 items: Canada; Newfoundland and Labrador; Prince Edward Island; Nova Scotia; ...); Requests for services (5 items: Total facilities; Total requests; Requests for services, housing; Requests for services, non-housing; ...).

Description:

Cycle 13 of the General Social Survey (GSS) is the third cycle (following cycles 3 and 8) that collected information in 1999 on the nature and extent of criminal victimisation in Canada. Focus content for cycle 13 addressed two areas of emerging interest: public perception toward alternatives to imprisonment; and spousal violence and senior abuse. Other subjects common to all three cycles include perceptions of crime, police and courts; crime prevention precautions; accident and crime screening sections; and accident and crime incident reports. The target population of the GSS is all individuals aged 15 and over living in a private household in one of the ten provinces.

Description:

This document brings together data from a number of Statistics Canada surveys and provides a visual perspective on the following subject areas: crime, police administration, adult and youth court activity, the correctional population, costs of the criminal justice system, violence against women, Canadians' experiences with crime, and their perceptions and fears of crime.

Description:

This section on crime and justice contains 328 series, arranged in four main sub-sections: crime and law enforcement, (series Z1-65); court proceedings, (series Z66-172); penal institutions, (series Z173-226); and juvenile delinquency, (series Z227-291). Population statistics are appended to facilitate use of the series, (series Z292-328). These series have been selected and arranged not only to provide usable quantitative information covering the field of criminal justice but also to indicate something of the historical development of justice statistics in Canada over the past century.

Description:

This report presents summary crime statistics as well as police personnel and expenditures for all municipal police departments in Canada. The report is organized by province and by city-size within province. Data include violent and property crime rates, clearance rates, population per officer and per capita costs.

Description:

This publication provides timely correctional population data for adults and young offenders. The data are reported by month, for each correctional jurisdiction (province/territory and federal) and by security status for adult offenders in custody. Summary data on supervised probationers are also included. The publication also provides young offender data by province/territory, by custody status, by month, as well as data on young offenders on supervised probation. The data presented in the report cover a five-year monthly time series. Data analysis, definitions, data quality measures and a glossary are also part of this publication. Statistics are derived from an ongoing data tables collection process conducted bi-annually since 1987.

Description:

Data from the 1993 Violence Against Women Survey on the incidence and nature of work-related sexual harassment.

Description:

The report, which represents the first phase of a special study commissioned by the National Justice Statistics Initiative, is intended as a reference document on administrative and operational policies with respect to alternative measures for both youth and adults in Canada. The study focussed on the collection of national descriptive information on the organization and delivery of youth and adult alternative measures established pursuant to the Young Offenders Act (Canada) (1984) and the Sentencing Reform Act (1996).

Topics covered include the philosophy of the alternative measures, responsibility for program delivery, referral agent, the role of the police, the Crown, and the victim, the right to legal counsel. Eligibility criteria, a flowchart outlining the alternative measures process, a description of the alternative measures agreement, the range of alternative measures, the supervision of and completion of the agreement, and information regarding record keeping requirements. Where available, appendices have been attached that provide samples of forms currently in use in the jurisdiction as well as any currently available alternative measures data. It is important to note that data contained in the jurisdictional appendices are provided as a sample only. No analysis has been performed on the data nor have any inter-jurisdictional comparisons been made as there has been no attempt to ensure standard definition or time frames for the data.

Description:

This Juristat profiles three populations of inmates: women, Aboriginal people and individuals serving life sentences. These data are based on a census of adult inmates on register in all adult correctional facilities as of midnight October 5th, 1996. Data were obtained through administrative records.

While the general population in Canada was made up almost equally of men and women, women comprised only 5% of prisoners in correctional facilities on October 5, 1996. Female inmates tended to be in their early 30s, single, with grade 9 education or less, and unemployed at the time of admission. They were considered at lower risk to re-offend than men.

Aboriginal people were over-represented in the prison system. Although they comprised only 2% of the general adult population, they accounted for 17% of the prison population. They were younger on average than non-Aboriginal inmates, had less education and were more likely to have been unemployed. They were also considered at higher risk to re-offend, and they had a higher set of needs than non-Aboriginal inmates (including, substance abuse, employment, personal needs and family/marital needs).

The data also showed that as of midnight October 5th, 1996, inmates serving a life sentence comprised nearly one-fifth (18%) of the nearly 13,900 inmates in federal prisons. A person can be given a life sentence if they have been convicted of offences such as first degree or second-degree murder. Parole eligibility varies from minimum ten years served to minimum 25 years served.

Individuals serving life sentences tended to be older and less educated than others in the prison population. The median age for lifers on snapshot day was 39, compared with 33 for other inmates. More than one-half (56%) of lifers had a grade 9 education or less, compared with 44% of other inmates.

In addition, a majority (84%) of inmates serving life sentences were considered at high risk to re-offend, a much higher proportion than the 53% of other inmates. Not surprisingly, lifers also had a higher set of needs, that is, problem areas requiring intervention, such as personal and emotional issues, marital and family problems, attitude and problems functioning in the community.

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

Description:

This series of reports provides detailed statistics and analysis on a variety of topics and issues concerning Canada's justice system. Annual Juristats are produced on areas such as: crime, homicide, youth and adult courts, and corrections. Additional Juristats are also produced each year on current topics of interest to the justice community. This is a unique periodical, of great interest to those who have to plan, establish, administer and evaluate justice programs and projects, or anyone who has an interest in Canada's justice system.

Description:

Over the past twenty years, there has been growing public awareness and concern about the occurrence of sexual offending and the personal and societal costs associated with these acts. There has been a gradual reduction in the stigma associated with being a victim of these crimes and, as supports for victims have developed, there has been an apparent increased willingness of victims to report these crimes to police, often long after the abuse has occurred. In many cases, the perpetrators of these crimes are in trusted positions of authority and the victims are dependent children. This Juristat presents statistical data on the prevalence of sexual offences reported to the police and the characteristics of the offenders and victims involved. It also highlights some of the salient issues associated with the response of the justice system and the public to offenders and their victims. Data sources include statistics collected by the police, courts and correctional institutions. These official sources probably represent only a small portion of all sexual offences and offenders, since results from victimization surveys suggest that as many as 90% of all sexual offences are not reported to the police. Data concerning victims of sexual offences, including information available from victimization surveys, are presented in the final section of this report.

Description:

Providing effective treatment and rehabilitation of young offenders, and ensuring the safety of Canadian communities are primary objectives of the youth justice system. The Young Offenders Act, proclaimed in 1984, introduced rights for adolescents previously guaranteed for adults only; recognized the special needs of youths due to varying levels of maturity; the necessity for youths to accept responsibility for unlawful action; and the right of society to protection from illegal behaviour. In response to concerns about the effectiveness of the law, the current Young Offenders Act will soon be replaced by new legislation. The Youth Court Survey, through the collection and dissemination of youth court information, continues to assist policy-makers and program managers as they redefine the nature of Canada’s youth justice system. The Youth Court Survey captures the court process and response to youth crime rather the prevalence of criminal activity.

Description:

This study describes people who were incarcerated in federal and provincial/territorial adult facilities at midnight on October 5, 1996. A census was used to gather data on facilities, inmates and security issues.

Description:

This issue of Juristat focuses principally on criminal drug offences reported by Canadian police services. It sketches a statistical profile of drug crimes and drug offenders, while examining the various types of offences and drugs involved. The report also examines national trends as well as provincial/territorial comparisons. Other information sources are used to describe the attitudes of Canadians toward the drug problem and the reaction of the courts to those appearing on drug charges.

Description:

Both police officers and private security personnel play a key role in society; however, the line between the two professions is becoming less clearly defined as the use of private security increases. This article discusses the differences between public and private security. It includes information on roles and responsibilities, as well as minimum requirements and training. (Adapted from an article in Juristat published in November 1998.)

Description:

This report has two components. The first is an analytical component which examines trends in police personnel and expenditures at the national, provincial and census metropolitan area (CMA) levels, including data by rank and gender. Appropriate context is also included in terms of recent developments in the police community such as community policing and private security.

The second component is a tabular component which summarizes crime, personnel and expenditure statistics for all municipal police departments in Canada. Key ratios such as per officer strengths, per capita costs, clearance rates, and violent and property crime rates are included for each force.

Justice issues addressed: Policing accounts for approximately 60% of all justice expenditures. While crime remains high on the list of public concerns, governments have been forced to make cuts to most public sector areas, including policing. The analysis of trends in key ratios such as per capita costs, population per officer, police to civilian ratios, and the number of offences per officer can help shed some light on how the police community has responded to this changing environment.

Description:

During 1997-98, adult criminal courts in the nine participating jurisdictions disposed of 411,576 cases, involving 864,837 charges.

Description: The Canadian Index of Multiple Deprivation (CIMD) is an area-based index which uses Census of Population microdata to measure four key dimensions of deprivation at the dissemination area (DA)-level: residential instability, economic dependency, situational vulnerability and ethno-cultural composition.

The CIMD allows for an understanding of inequalities in various measures of health and social well-being. While it is a geographically-based index of deprivation and marginalization, it can also be used as a proxy for an individual. The CIMD has the potential to be widely used by researchers on a variety of topics related to socio-economic research. Other uses for the index may include: policy planning and evaluation, or resource allocation.

Description:

The Canadian Index of Multiple Deprivation (CIMD) is an area-based index which uses Census of Population microdata to measure four key dimensions of deprivation at the dissemination area (DA)-level: residential instability, economic dependency, situational vulnerability and ethno-cultural composition. The CIMD allows for an understanding of inequalities in various measures of health and social well-being. While it is a geographically-based index of deprivation and marginalization, it can also be used as a proxy for an individual. The CIMD has the potential to be widely used by researchers on a variety of topics related to socio-economic research. Other uses for the index may include: policy planning and evaluation, or resource allocation.

Description:

The User Guide for the Canadian Index of Multiple Deprivation (CIMD) outlines uses for the index, as well as it provides a brief description of the methodology behind the development of the index. This User Guide also provides instructions on how to use the index, and lists considerations when using the CIMD data.

Description:

This objective of this report is to present the status of national data on Aboriginal people who come into contact with the criminal justice system as offenders and victims. The report examines the current and potential collection of an individual's Aboriginal identity through various justice-related surveys at Statistics Canada, the challenges within these surveys to collect these data and provides some insight into the quality of these data. The data and sources are examined within the context of information needs for the justice and social policy sectors, and in relation to the preferred method of measuring Aboriginal Identity at Statistics Canada. Data sources examined include the Incident-based Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, the Homicide Survey, the Integrated Criminal Courts Survey, the Adult Corrections Survey, the Youth Custody and Community Services Survey, the Youth Alternative Measures Survey, the Transition Home Survey, the Victim Services Survey and the General Social Survey on Victimization. Finally, the report briefly describes efforts by other countries to improve justice-related information on their indigenous populations.

Description:

This report presents a description of the organization and operation of provincial and territorial maintenance enforcement programs. It describes the relevant provincial legislation, highlights latest developments, provides a general description of each program, describes how each manages cases, intake/withdrawal procedures, tracing, monitoring, payment processing and enforcement practices. As such, the reader will be able to identify the variations and similarities between the various programs. All of the maintenance enforcement programs rely upon several federal acts to collect, trace and enforce support payments. Therefore, a review of the relevant federal legislation is presented first, followed by a description of each provincial and territorial maintenance enforcement program.

Description:

This publication describes the structure and administration of provincial/territorial legal aid services in Canada. It also includes information on legislation, organization, coverage, eligibility, duty counsel and tariffs.

Description:

This publication includes a list of federal and provincial courts across the country. The purpose of this directory is to identify all courts (permanent and most frequently visited circuit points) in Canada by type, level, and location.

Description: The purpose of this survey is to collect education related financial data on all reform and correctional institutions in Canada. These data are used to supplement data collected from the Provincial Public Accounts on provincial expenditures on education.

Description: The purpose of the Police Administration Survey (PAS) is to collect statistics on public policing personnel and expenditures from municipal, provincial and federal police services in Canada. The information collected is used by federal and provincial policy makers, individual police services as well as officials responsible for police budgets. The data are also used by the media for the purpose of providing information to the general public.

Description: The Uniform Crime Reporting Survey was designed to measure the incidence of crime in Canadian society and its characteristics. The information is used by federal and provincial policy makers as well as public and private researchers.