Crime and justice

Description: Number and rate (per 100,000 population) of homicide victims, Canada and Census Metropolitan Areas, 1981 to 2023.

Description: Release published in The Daily – Statistics Canada’s official release bulletin

Description: This interactive data visualization dashboard provides an overview of police-reported crime in Canada. The dashboard features statistics on the crime rate, Crime Severity Index and for key violations on an annual basis and over the last 10 years. Information is available at different levels of geography including by Canada, province and territory and census metropolitan area.

Description: This interactive data visualization dashboard provides a focus on police-reported violations in Canada. Users can select for one or more violations or violation groups to view statistics over the last 10 years and at different geographies. This dashboard provides the number of incidents, rate, and year-over-year percentage change in rate for each violation, as well as incident clearance information. It also provides a comparison between each province and territory and each census metropolitan area for the selected violation(s).

Description: This interactive data visualization dashboard allows users to compare high-level police-reported information across different geographies, including for Canada, by province and territory and by census metropolitan area. Users can select for one or more geographies to view incident-level statistics or Crime Severity Index information over the last 10 years and as year-over-year percentage changes.

Description: This interactive data visualization dashboard provides an overview of police-reported homicide in Canada. The dashboard features statistics on the homicide rate and number of homicides on an annual basis starting in 2014. Detailed incident characteristics (method, firearm type, gang-related) and victim characteristics (identity group, gender, age, relationship to the accused) are also available. Information is available at different levels of geography including by Canada, province and territory and census metropolitan area.

Description: Key statistics about crime in Canada are presented in this infographic. Findings on changes to the Crime Severity Index (CSI) at the national and provincial, territorial levels are presented. Also included are the categories of crime which were reported in 2023.

Description: Police-reported cybercrime, by cyber-related violation (homicide, invitation to sexual touching, sexual exploitation, luring a child via a computer, voyeurism, non-consensual distribution of intimate images, extortion, criminal harassment, indecent/harassing communications, uttering threats, fraud, identity theft, identity fraud, mischief, fail to comply with order, indecent acts, child pornography, making or distribution of child pornography, public morals, breach of probation), Canada (selected police services), 2014 to 2023.

Description: Police-reported cybercrime, number of incidents and rate per 100,000 population, Canada, provinces, territories, Census Metropolitan Areas and Canadian Forces Military Police, 2014 to 2023.

Description: Crime severity index (violent, non-violent, youth) and weighted clearance rates (violent, non-violent), Canada, provinces, territories and Census Metropolitan Areas, 1998 to 2023.

Description: Crime severity index (violent, non-violent, youth) and weighted clearance rates (violent, non-violent), police services in Manitoba, 1998 to 2023.

Description: Crime severity index (violent, non-violent, youth) and weighted clearance rates (violent, non-violent), police services in Alberta, 1998 to 2023.

Description: Police-reported hate crime, number of incidents and rate per 100,000 population, Census Metropolitan Areas and Canadian Forces Military Police, 2014 to 2023.

Description: Number, percentage and rate (per 100,000 population) of homicide victims, by racialized identity group (total, by racialized identity group; racialized identity group; South Asian; Chinese; Black; Filipino; Arab; Latin American; Southeast Asian; West Asian; Korean; Japanese; other racialized identity group; multiple racialized identity; racialized identity, but racialized identity group is unknown; rest of the population; unknown racialized identity group), gender (all genders; male; female; gender unknown) and region (Canada; Atlantic region; Quebec; Ontario; Prairies region; British Columbia; territories), 2019 to 2023.

Description: Number, percentage and rate (per 100,000 population) of persons accused of homicide, by racialized identity group (total, by racialized identity group; racialized identity group; South Asian; Chinese; Black; Filipino; Arab; Latin American; Southeast Asian; West Asian; Korean; Japanese; other racialized identity group; multiple racialized identity; racialized identity, but racialized identity group is unknown; rest of the population; unknown racialized identity group), gender (all genders; male; female; gender unknown) and region (Canada; Atlantic region; Quebec; Ontario; Prairies region; British Columbia; territories), 2019 to 2023.

Description: Number and rate (per 100,000 population) of victims of solved homicides, by racialized identity group (total, by racialized identity group; racialized identity group; South Asian; Chinese; Black; Filipino; Arab; Latin American; Southeast Asian; West Asian; Korean; Japanese; other racialized identity group; multiple racialized identity; racialized identity, but racialized identity group is unknown; rest of the population; unknown racialized identity group), gender (all genders; male; female; gender unknown) and type of accused-victim relationship (total accused-victim relationship; family, spouse, and intimate partner relationships; acquaintance; criminal relationship; stranger; accused-victim relationship unknown), Canada, 2019 to 2023.

Description: This dashboard presents key indicators for preliminary quarterly data on adult criminal and youth courts, by offence and sex of the accused, Canada, provinces and territories.

Description: Preliminary quarterly key indicator percentage change (year-over-year) on adult criminal courts and youth courts, by offence and sex of accused, for all reporting provinces and territories.

Description: Preliminary quarterly key indicator results and year-over-year absolute change (refers to the simple difference in the indicator over two periods of time (new-old)) for adult criminal courts and youth courts, by offence and sex of accused, for all reporting provinces and territories.

Description: Annual admissions (number, percent) to residential facilities for victims of abuse, by resident type and area density, Canada, Province or territory, reference year.

Description:

This analytical study updates data previously released in the 2002 Statistical Profile: Assessing Violence Against Women. New content has also been added concerning the experiences of Aboriginal women and women in the North.

Description:

The annual report on crime statistics presents an analysis of the police-reported data in 2005. These data are presented within the context of both short and long term trends. Data are examined at the national, provincial and territorial levels, as well as for major metropolitan areas by type of crime. The report distinguishes between violent crime, property crime, other Criminal Code offences, impaired driving, drug offences and youth crime.

Description:

This research paper explores the spatial distribution of crime and various social, economic and physical neighbourhood characteristics on the Island of Montréal. Analysis is based on police-reported crime data from the 2001 Incident-based Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, the 2001 Census of Population, and Communauté métropolitaine de Montréal land-use data.

Description:

Using data from victimization, police and corrections surveys, this report provides a statistical portrait of the extent and nature of victimization and offending among Aboriginal people in Canada during the past few years.

The report finds that Aboriginal people are much more likely than non-Aboriginal people to be victims of violent crime and spousal violence. Aboriginal people are also highly overrepresented as offenders charged in police-reported homicide incidents and those admitted into the correctional system. Furthermore, crime rates are notably higher on-reserve compared to crime rates in the rest of Canada.

The report also examines particular factors which could be related to the high levels of representation in the criminal justice system. These factors include: Aboriginal people are younger on average; their unemployment rates are higher and incomes lower; they have lower levels of educational attainment; they are more likely to live in crowded conditions; they have higher residential mobility; and Aboriginal children are more likely to be members of a lone-parent family.

Information on Aboriginal peoples fear of crime and their perceptions of the justice system as well as their experiences with discrimination are presented, along with a description of some of the programs and services that have been developed as a response to the specialized needs of Aboriginal people in the criminal justice system.

Description:

This feasibility report provides a blueprint for improving data on fraud in Canada through a survey of businesses and through amendments to the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Survey. Presently, national information on fraud is based on official crime statistics reported by police services to the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey. These data, however, do not reflect the true nature and extent of fraud in Canada due to under-reporting of fraud by individuals and businesses, and due to inconsistencies in the way frauds are counted within the UCR Survey. This feasibility report concludes that a better measurement of fraud in Canada could be obtained through a survey of businesses. The report presents the information priorities of government departments, law enforcement and the private sector with respect to the issue of fraud and makes recommendations on how a survey of businesses could help fulfill these information needs.

To respond to information priorities, the study recommends surveying the following types of business establishments: banks, payment companies (i.e. credit card and debit card companies), selected retailers, property and casualty insurance carriers, health and disability insurance carriers and selected manufacturers. The report makes recommendations regarding survey methodology and questionnaire content, and provides estimates for timeframes and cost.

The report also recommends changes to the UCR Survey in order to improve the way in which incidents are counted and to render the data collected more relevant with respect to the information priorities raised by government, law enforcement and the private sector during the feasibility study.

Description:

This Juristat provides an overview of young persons under correctional services and is the first release of the Youth Custody and Community Services Survey (YCCS) since the implementation of the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA), which came into effect on April 1, 2003. Correctional services include pre-trial detention (remand), secure and open custody, and probation, as well as the new YCJA sentencing options, including, deferred custody and supervision, community portion of a custody sentence (CPCS), and the intensive support and supervision program (ISSP).

This Juristat examines youth correctional data which are drawn from two sources: 1) The Youth Key Indicator Report which measures the number of youth held in custody on an average day and on probation on an average month-end basis. An examination of trends provides an overview of caseload in youth corrections, as well as incarceration and probation rates, and 2) The Youth Custody and Community Services survey collects data on youth admissions to and releases from custody and community services. These data are examined based on key case characteristics such as age, sex, Aboriginal/non-Aboriginal identity, and most serious offence and length of time served. Data are analyzed at the provincial/territorial as well as national levels.

Description:

This Juristat presents for the first time a detailed examination of the offences against the administration of justice such as failure to comply with a court order, breach of probation, and failure to appear. It reports on the increasing occurence of these offences in the criminal justice system from 1994/95 to 2003/04.

Description:

The federal government and the provincial and territorial governments share the administration of correctional services in Canada, which include custody (sentenced custody, remand and other temporary detention) and community-based sentences (probation, conditional sentences) as well as statutory release and parole supervision. Correctional services agencies at both levels work toward the same goal, that is, the protection of society as well as the rehabilitation of offenders and their safe reintegration into communities as productive members.

This Juristat reports on data from the Adult Correctional Services Survey for the 2003/04 fiscal year, and shows trends in these data from 1994/95. It examines average counts of adults who have been incarcerated, who were under community supervision on probation, serving a conditional sentence or on conditional release (parole and statutory release). The number of admissions to these programs, the offences leading to the admission, the duration of the incarceration or probation, as well as some offender characteristics, such as age, sex and Aboriginal identity are also described. Furthermore, the cost of correctional services in 2003/04, broken down by type of activity and level of government is examined. The average daily inmate costs from 1994/95 to 2003/04, as well as the number of correctional institutions in Canada in 2003/04 are reported.

Description:

This is the first quasi-national Canadian study of the criminal careers of a birth cohort. It uses linked data from the Youth Court Survey and Adult Criminal Court Survey to describe the court careers up to the 22nd birthday of Canadians born in 1979/80. The study includes six provinces - Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan, and Alberta - accounting for approximately 78% of the population of Canada.

Eighteen per 100 members of the cohort were referred to court for a criminal offence allegedly committed before their 22nd birthday. Thirteen were found guilty of at least one offence, and ten received a sentence which put them under the supervision of correctional or probation authorities. The peak age of referral to court is 18 years. On average, between the ages of 12 and 21 inclusive, alleged offenders were referred to court in connection with 3.1 criminal incidents' or 2.4, if administrative offences are excluded. Just over half of alleged offenders had only one incident in their court career. Seventeen percent of alleged offenders were classified as chronic offenders, who were responsible for 58% of all alleged criminal incidents.

Individuals whose contact with the court system begins later in adolescence tend to be involved in fewer criminal incidents. The lengths of court careers vary widely, but the mean and median lengths are 20 months and 13 months respectively. Age-specific annual rates of alleged offending are similar for accused males and females, and peak at 15 years of age. There is no particular tendency to escalation, de-escalation, or stability in the seriousness of repeated court referrals: all three patterns occur frequently. Thirty-seven percent of individuals with multiple court referrals have adolescent-limited careers (i.e. no incidents after the 18th birthday which resulted in court referral), 43% have adult-onset careers (no incidents before the 18th birthday), and 20% are persistent offenders (with incidents both as youths and as adults). The latter have many more criminal incidents in their careers and are much more likely than the others to have been referred to court for an offence against the person; however, the incidents in their careers are not more serious on average, and they are not more likely to have had an early onset of contact with the court system.

The file from which these results were derived could support much more detailed analyses of the topics which are touched on by this report, as well as other topics which have not been addressed, such as the timing of incidents during the career, the processing of cases through the courts, the sequence of case outcomes and sentences, and the interactions between sentencing and future offending, including the impact on careers of incapacitation. As additional years of court data become available, future research should follow court careers past the 22nd birthday. This will result in a more complete picture of the court careers of chronic, persistent offenders, as well as a more thorough investigation of the court careers of "adult-onset " offenders, who had no contact with the court system during adolescence.

Description:

In 2004, as part of its General Social Survey program, Statistics Canada conducted a survey on victimization and public perceptions of crime and the justice system. It was the fourth time that the General Social Survey (GSS) had examined victimization - previous surveys were conducted in 1999, 1993 and 1988.

For the 2004 survey, interviews were conducted by telephone with approximately 24,000 people, aged 15 and older, living in the 10 provinces. Respondents were asked about their experiences with criminal victimization. Those respondents who had been victims of a crime in the previous 12 months were asked for detailed information on each incident, including when and where it occurred; whether the incident was reported to the police; and how they were affected by the experience.

This Juristat explores the overall trends and regional variations of criminal victimization, as well as the individual risk factors associated with victimization. The impacts and consequences of being victimized are discussed, along with the informal and formal sources of support for victims.

Description: The purpose of this survey is to provide information on the nature and characteristics of Alternative Measures cases in youth corrections, which are of use to justice agencies, the media and the public.

Description: The purpose of the project was to provide more detailed information on the make-up of inmate populations in Canada in order to answer questions such as who is incarcerated, where, and why.

Description: The purpose of this pilot study of court-based recidivism is to explore the possibility for ongoing and improved measures.

Description: The Survey of Residential Facilities for Victims of Abuse (SRFVA) is a census of Canadian residential facilities primarily mandated to provide residential services to victims of abuse. The objective of SRFVA is to produce statistics on the services offered by these facilities during the previous 12 months, as well as to provide a one-day snapshot of the clientele being served on a specific date (mid-April of the survey year).

Description: This survey was designed to provide information for planning and evaluating crime prevention programs.

Description: This survey was designed to provide information for planning and evaluating crime prevention programs.

Description: This one-time-only survey examines the safety of women both inside and outside the home - perceptions of fear, sexual harassment, sexual violence, physical violence and threats by strangers, dates/boyfriends, other known men, husbands and common-law partners.

Description: The purpose of this survey is to assess the experiences of individuals who have lodged complaints against the RCMP and individuals who were involved in a complaint review.

Description: The two primary objectives of the General Social Survey (GSS) are: - to gather data on social trends in order to monitor changes in the living conditions and well-being of Canadians over time; and - to provide information on specific social policy issues of current or emerging interest.

Description: The objective of this survey is to collect information on victim service agencies that provided services directly to primary or secondary victims of crime during the 12-month reference period, as well as to provide a one-day snapshot of clientele being served on a specific date. Information on activities by criminal injuries compensation/financial benefit programs during the 12-month reference period is also collected.