Crime and justice

Description:

This paper discusses in detail issues dealing with the technical aspects of designing and conducting surveys. It is intended for an audience of survey methodologists.

Police records collected by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) through the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program are the leading source of national crime statistics. Recently, audits to correct UCR records have raised concerns as to how to handle the errors discovered in these files. Concerns centre around the methodology used to detect errors and the procedures used to correct errors once they have been discovered. This paper explores these concerns, focusing on sampling methodology, establishment of a statistical-adjustment factor, and alternative solutions. The paper distinguishes the difference between sample adjustment and sample estimates of an agency's data, and recommends sample adjustment as the most accurate way of dealing with errors.

Description:

This paper discusses in detail issues dealing with the technical aspects of designing and conducting surveys. It is intended for an audience of survey methodologists.

In order to compensate for unreported, missing, unreasonable, or unusable data, the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Program conducts data estimations and imputations using a variety of statistical methods. This paper illustrates how offence and arrest data are estimated using a variety of different approaches. The paper also points out the strengths and the shortcomings of each approach.

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 report is an examination of the annual 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, other Criminal Code offences, impaired driving offences, drug offences and youth crime. Crime rates are examined at the national and provincial/territorial levels, as well as for major metropolitan areas. The trend in Canada's crime rate is put into perspective by comparing it with crime trends in some other industrialized countries. This is an annual periodical of great interest to those who work within the criminal justice system or anyone who is interested in crime in Canada.

Description:

Using data from the Homicide Survey and a combination of other statistical data sources this Juristat will examine spousal homicide trends over the period 1974-2000. In 1991 changes were made to the Homicide Survey providing more detailed breakdowns of the relationship between victims and offenders permitting comparisons of married, common-law, separated and divorced couples as well as boyfriends and girlfriends. This allows trends in other intimate partner homicides (e.g. boyfriends and girlfriends) to be examined from 1991-2000. These trends in spousal homicide will be assessed within the context of other factors, including improvements to women’s economic and social well-being (e.g. average annual income, delayed marriage and child-rearing), growth in the availability of emergency services for battered women, trends in spousal victims’ use of social services, trends in reporting spousal violence to the police, and the evolution of charging and prosecution policies.

Description:

The 1999 General Social Survey was the first attempt by Statistics Canada to measure spousal violence in a comprehensive way on a traditional victimization survey. Both women and men were asked a module of 10 questions concerning violence by their current or previous spouses and common-law partners. The nature of the violence under study ranged in severity from threats to sexual assault and concerned acts that happened in the 12-month and 5-year periods preceding the survey interview.

Description:

Persons aged 65 years and older constitute one of the fastest growing segments of the Canadian population. In 2000, there were an estimated 3.8 million older men and women representing 13% of the country's total population, up from 9% just 20 years earlier. Declining fertility rates and increased longevity, due primarily to improved health care, have contributed to this rapid growth. And as the baby-boom generation (those born between 1946 and 1965) begins to reach the age of 65 early in the next decade, the absolute number of older adults, as well as their share of the total population, is expected to grow even more quickly. Indeed, by 2021, population projections estimate that older Canadians will number close to 6.7 million or about one-fifth of the total population (George et al. 2001).

Description:

Over the past two decades, the negative consequences of child maltreatment have been extensively studied. Sexual and physical assault, emotional abuse and neglect can have a tremendous impact on the lives of victims and lead to physical health complications, long-term mental health issues, and problems with relationships or social functioning (Latimer 1998). Increasingly, exposure to spousal violence is being recognized as harmful and as putting children at risk for long-term negative effects.

Description:

The Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics conducted a special study on conditional sentencing in 2001 to improve the level and quality of information available on this disposition and to assess the influence of the new sanction on correctional services caseloads. The purpose of this bulletin is to provide a preliminary examination of the results of the special study, as well as the most current data from the Adult Correctional Services Survey and the Adult Criminal Court Survey.

Description:

This bulletin examines 'home invasions'. Recent high-profile incidents of 'home invasion' have received significant exposure in the media, particularly those where the elderly have been targeted. The impact of 'home invasions' extends beyond the violence of the crime itself to a long-term loss of the victim's sense of safety at home.

Description:

This report examines trends in police personnel (including selected demographic characteristics) and expenditures on policing (a component of justice system spending) for Canada, the provinces and territories, census metropolitan areas and municipal police services. Findings are based on data from the Police Administration Survey. Selected data are presented at the national and provincial levels, including rank, gender, age group and years of service of police officers. Other crime and personnel statistics, including officers per population, hirings and departures and Crime Severity Index values are presented for census metropolitan areas and for all municipal police services in Canada. The information contained in this report provides an overview of the Canadian policing community and how it continues to change over time.

Description:

The Legal Aid Survey provides information on revenues, expenditures, personnel, and caseload (e.g., applications for legal aid services) associated with the delivery of legal aid in the 13 provinces and territories in Canada in 2011/2012. Data were collected through a survey questionnaire sent to the 13 legal aid plans in Canada, from provincial and territorial departments responsible for justice matters, and from Justice Canada.

Description:

This set of fact sheets present national, provincial and territorial data on shelters that provide residential services to abused women and their children. The highlighted information includes profiles of the facilities and services provided, as well as characteristics of residents. Data for these fact sheets are from the Transition Home Survey (THS), a biennial census of all facilities in Canada known to provide residential services to abused women and their children. The THS is conducted by the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics as part of the federal government's Family Violence Initiative and collects information on the characteristics of the facilities and the services provided during a 12-month period. Additionally, through the use of a snapshot day survey (mid-April of the collection year), selected characteristics of residents (i.e., reasons for coming to the shelter, relationship to abuser, repeat stays, etc.) are collected.

Description:

This package was designed to enable users to access and manipulate the microdata file for Cycle 23 (2009) of the General Social Survey (GSS). It contains information on the objectives, methodology and estimation procedures, as well as guidelines for releasing estimates based on the survey.

Cycle 23 collected data from persons 15 years and over living in private households in Canada, excluding residents of the Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut; and full-time residents of institutions.

The purpose of this survey is to better understand how Canadians perceive crime and the justice system and their experiences of victimization. The survey is designed to produce estimates of the extent to which persons are the victims of eight types of offences (assault, sexual assault, robbery, theft of personal property, breaking and entering, motor vehicle theft, theft of household property and vandalism); to examine the risk factors associated with victimization; to examine the rates of reporting to the police; and to evaluate the fear of crime and public perceptions of crime and the criminal justice system.

Cycle 23 is the fifth cycle of the GSS dedicated to collecting data on victimization. Previous cycles had been conducted in 1988, 1993, 1999 and 2004. Cycle 23 includes most of the content from previous cycles as well as new content, added to reflect the society's emerging issues of crime prevention and Internet victimization.

Description: This table contains 96 series, with data for years 1986 - 2009 (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 (16 items: Canada;Newfoundland and Labrador;Prince Edward Island;Nova Scotia; ...); Sex (3 items: Both sexes;Males;Females); Statistics (2 items: Total number of police officers;Percentage of total police officers).

Description:

This publication contains statistical information on child and spousal support payments which are collected from maintenance enforcement programs (MEPs) across Canada. These programs, which exist in each province and territory, provide administrative assistance to recipients to help them collect their support payments. In March 2010, about 408,000 cases were registered in the 11 reporting MEPs.

Information is collected through the Maintenance Enforcement Survey (MES) and the Survey of Maintenance Enforcement Programs (SMEP). These surveys gather information on the caseload of the MEP, the sex and median age of payors and recipients, typical support amounts, compliance rates, information on arrears, frequency and amount of payments, legislation under which the order for support was made, and types of actions that are initiated in order to enforce support.

The SMEP, a micro data survey, is currently being implemented in some jurisdictions and eventually all 13 provincial/territorial MEPs will report to the SMEP. This report contains data from Newfoundland and Labrador, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon and the Northwest Territories. In future years, with more provinces and territories able to report to the SMEP, a more complete national picture of maintenance enforcement will emerge.

Description: This table contains 312 series, with data for years 2002 - 2002 (not all combinations necessarily have data for all years), and was last released on 2010-03-30. This table contains data described by the following dimensions (Not all combinations are available): Geography (14 items: Belgium (Flemish speaking); Canada; Denmark ...) Sex (2 items: Males; Females ...) Age group (3 items: 11 years; 13 years; 15 years ...) Student response (4 items: Always; Rarely or never; Most of the time; Sometimes ...).

Description: This table contains 29600 series, with data for years 1977 - 1997 (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 (40 items: Canada;Newfoundland and Labrador;St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador;Prince Edward Island; ...); Offences (148 items: Total, all incidents;Total, all Criminal Code offences, including traffic;Total, Criminal Code, excluding traffic;Total, crimes of violence; ...); Statistics (5 items: Actual incidents;Rate per 100,000 population;Percentage change in rates;Cleared by charge; ...).

Description: This table contains 12432 series, with data for years 1977 - 1997 (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 (14 items: Canada;Newfoundland and Labrador;Prince Edward Island;Nova Scotia; ...); Offences (148 items: Total, all incidents;Total, all Criminal Code offences, including traffic;Total, Criminal Code, excluding traffic;Total, crimes of violence; ...); Statistics (6 items: Total, persons charged;Adults charged;Youths charged;Rate, total persons charged; ...).

Description: This table contains 31 series, with data for years 1974 - 2001 (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; ...); Police officers (3 items: Total number of police officers;Population per police officer;Royal Canadian Mounted Police headquarters).

Description:

The intent of this Juristat is to present police and court data on criminal harassment that are currently available from Statistics Canada's Revised Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) Survey and Adult Criminal Court Survey (ACCS). As the legislation is relatively new, this report is a first attempt at producing a detailed analysis of criminal harassment data. The statistics in this report provide only a partial picture of criminal harassment in Canada and are not nationally representative. As such, the analysis will focus on the nature of incidents rather than the extent. Please refer to the Methodology section for more details on the data sources.

Description:

Police-reported violent crime in Canada increased steadily from the early 1970s through to the early 1990s. Homicides, in particular, tend to be widely covered in the media, especially those of a brutal nature or those targeting the more vulnerable members of society. The 1993 General Social Survey indicated a growing concern among Canadians about threats of attack or violence. Yet the homicide rate has gradually been declining since the mid 1970s.

Description:

In every province and territory, abused women and their children can find refuge in a variety of facilities that provide residential services. In 1994-95, transition homes and similar institutions recorded more than 85,000 admissions. Most of the women admitted were escaping physical abuse by a current or previous spouse or common-law partner.

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.

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.