Crime and justice

Description: This Juristat article uses data from the 2022/2023 Survey of Residential Facilities for Victims of Abuse (SRFVA) to present results on residential facilities in Canada that are primarily mandated to serve victims of abuse. Results presented in this article refer to two distinct time periods. The first focuses on a 12-month period within 2022/2023, and provides an overview of facility characteristics, touching on shelter admissions, availability of accommodations, and general services provided. The second focuses on information for a predetermined snapshot date of April 13, 2023, and presents a profile of residents using residential facilities on this date.

Description: This publication provides in-depth analysis and detailed statistics on a variety of topics and issues related to justice and public safety. Topics include crime, victimization, homicide, civil, family and criminal courts, and correctional services. Issues related to community safety, and perceptions of safety are also covered. The publication is intended for those with an interest in Canada's justice and public safety systems as well as those who plan, establish, administer and evaluate programs and projects related to justice and public safety.

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: One day snapshot of residents (number, percent) in residential facilities for victims of abuse, by reason for seeking shelter, Canada, Province or territory, reference year.

Description: One day snapshot of women and accompanying children (number, percent) residing in residential facilities for victims of abuse compared with individuals living in Canada, by selected characteristics, Canada, Province or territory, reference year.

Description: One day snapshot of women and accompanying children (number, percent, rate per 100,000) residing in residential facilities for victims of abuse, by age group, Canada, region, reference year.

Description: One day snapshot of women (percent) residing in residential facilities for victims of abuse, by type of abuse experienced, Canada, Province or territory, reference year.

Description: One day snapshot of women (number, percent) residing in residential facilities for victims of abuse, by relationship of abuser to the adult female, Canada, Province or territory, reference year.

Description: Percent of residential facilities for victims of abuse offering selected services, Canada, region, reference year.

Description: This publication presents key highlights and results from the General Social Survey on the topics of caregiving and care receiving; social identity; giving, volunteering and participating; victimization; time use; and family.

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: One day snapshot of residents (number, percent) in residential facilities for victims of abuse, by reason for seeking shelter, Canada, Province or territory, reference year.

Description: One day snapshot of women and accompanying children (number, percent) residing in residential facilities for victims of abuse compared with individuals living in Canada, by selected characteristics, Canada, Province or territory, reference year.

Description: One day snapshot of women and accompanying children (number, percent, rate per 100,000) residing in residential facilities for victims of abuse, by age group, Canada, region, reference year.

Description: One day snapshot of women (percent) residing in residential facilities for victims of abuse, by type of abuse experienced, Canada, Province or territory, reference year.

Description: One day snapshot of women (number, percent) residing in residential facilities for victims of abuse, by relationship of abuser to the adult female, Canada, Province or territory, reference year.

Description: Percent of residential facilities for victims of abuse offering selected services, Canada, region, reference year.

Description: Maintenance enforcement programs, by interjurisdictional support order status and enrolment events, Canada and selected provinces and territories, five years of data.

Description: Maintenance enforcement programs, by age of children, length of enrolment of case and number of children in cases, Canada and selected provinces and territories, five years of data.

Description: Maintenance enforcement programs, by activity status, type of payment, compliance with regular and total payment, arrears status at beginning of March of fiscal year and payment assignment status, Canada and selected provinces and territories, five years of data.

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:

This annual report is an examination of homicide in Canada. Detailed information is presented on the characteristics of homicide incidents (murder, manslaughter and infanticide), victims and accused within the context of both short and long-term trends. 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:

The annual report on crime statistics presents an analysis of the police-reported data in 2004. 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: The goals of this survey were to enhance our understanding of hate crime in Canada and to assess the feasibility of collecting national police-reported hate crime statistics.

Description: The primary objective of the Civil Court Survey is to develop and maintain a national civil court database of statistical information on court events and cases. It is intended to collect comparable, national level baseline data on civil court activity in Canada.

Description: The purpose of this is to collect data on residential services for abused and at-risk youth (aged 16 to 29) during the previous 12 months, as well as to provide a one-day "snapshot" of the clientele being served on a specific date.

Description: The purpose of this survey is to collect national-level data on the prevalence and types of fraud experienced by certain business sectors. These data are required to respond to the need for better information on the nature and extent of fraud in Canada in order to improve policy and public education with respect to this issue. The survey also collects information on fraud detection and prevention and actions taken in response to incidents of fraud, including use of the criminal justice system.

Description: The purpose of the Survey on Sexual Misconduct in the Canadian Armed Forces (SSMCAF) is to collect information about the prevalence and nature of inappropriate sexual behaviour within the military, the reporting of inappropriate sexual behaviour to authorities, military members' perception of the Canadian Armed Forces' (CAF) response to this issue and CAF's progress in addressing sexual misconduct in the ranks.

Description: The purpose of this survey is to collect data on the impact of cybercrime to Canadian businesses and their activities to mitigate the effects. The survey includes information on investment in cyber security measures, cyber security training, the volume of cyber security incidents, and the costs associated with responding to these incidents.

Description: The National Fire Information Database (NFID) is a pilot project with the objective of gathering ten years of microdata information on fire incidents and fire losses from provincial/territorial Fire Marshals and Fire Commissioners Offices across Canada, standardizing the data, and creating a centralized national system for the collection of fire statistics.

Description: The objective of the Canadian Correctional Services Survey (CCSS) is to collect detailed information on each person who is supervised by a correctional services program in Canada for all or part of a fiscal year, including both adults and youth.

Description: The purpose of this survey is to collect information on Canadians' experiences related to their safety in public and private spaces. Questions are asked about these personal experiences at home, in the workplace, in public spaces and online.

Description: The purpose of the Canadian Victim Services Indicators (CVSI) project is to collect aggregate statistics from victim services directorates with provincial and territorial governments to provide information on the characteristics of victims accessing services, the types of services utilized, and case load demands in order to better develop programs and services for victims of violence.