Crime and justice

Description:

This series of reports provides detailed statistics and analysis on a variety of topics and issues concerning Canada's justice system. The annual Juristat, Youth Court Statistics summarizes trends from provincial and territorial youth courts across Canada, which provide data to the Youth Court Survey (YCS). In the 2001/02 Juristat, information is presented on the characteristics of cases and accused youth, conviction rates, sentencing trends and related issues. As well, statistics are presented for a 10-year period (1992/93 through 2001/02).

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This research paper examines factors associated with delinquent behaviour among a sample of 12- to 15-year-olds. It investigates whether sex differences exist when various factors associated with delinquency are considered, especially the youth's level of commitment to school and experience of victimization.

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This research paper explores the effect of witnessing violence in the home on aggressive behaviour among children, controlling for other important influences such as parenting practices, community and social support available to the parent and child, child emotional problems, and other socio-demographic factors.

Description:

The Canada e-Book is an online version of the Canada Year Book with texts, tables, charts and audio clips that present the country's economic and social trends. The Canada e-Book illustrates Canada and Canadians under four broad headings: The Land, The People, The Economy, and The State. You will find a wealth of information on topics including the human imprint on the environment, population and demography, health, education, household and family life, labour force, arts and leisure, industries, finance, government and justice. All Canadians will enjoy this useful reference that helps explain the social, economic and cultural forces that shape our nation.

Description:

The 'conditional sentence' was enacted in September 1996 as a new sentencing option for adult offenders. Under this new sanction, an offender could be ordered a term of imprisonment of less than two years to be served within the community. During the 2001 to 2002 period, the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics conducted a special study of conditional sentences in correctional services in order to examine the impact of this new sentence on the administration of sentencing in Canada and to explore its application through an examination of caseloads and case characteristics.

This report uses data from that special study, as well as the Adult Correctional Services survey, to profile conditional sentence caseloads and case characteristics (e.g., length of sentence, most serious offence, conditions ordered), and offender characteristics (e.g., age, sex, Aboriginal/non-Aboriginal), nationally, provincially and territorially for the period of 1997 to 2001. Data on conditional sentences are also compared with probation and custody trends in order to examine the impact of conditional sentencing on probation and incarceration. Additional information describing jurisdictional administrative policies and procedures governing conditional sentences is also provided. The correctional services data have been supplemented with court data on conditional sentences from three jurisdictions: Newfoundland and Labrador, Ontario and Alberta.

Description:

This series of reports provides detailed statistics and analysis on a variety of topics and issues concerning Canada's justice system. The annual Juristat, "Adult Criminal Court Statistics, 2000/01, summarizes trends from provincial/territorial adult criminal courts across Canada, which provided data to the Adult Criminal Court Survey (ACCS) for the 2001/02 fiscal year. In this Juristat, information is presented on the characteristics of cases and accused persons, the number of appearances, conviction rates, sentencing trends and related issues. As well, statistics are presented for a five-year period (1997/98 through 2001/02).

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This article examines violence committed against senior citizens, using self-reported data from the 1999 General Social Survey.

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The policy and processes involving mentally disordered accused can be complex. Persons found unfit to stand trial, or not criminally responsible for their actions on account of a mental disorder, come into contact with both the health and justice systems. With the increasing availability over the past two to three decades of psychotropic medication for mentally disordered persons, the health system is now able to treat this group in a non-institutionalized setting. Similarly, dispositions made by the court, when the accused has been found either unfit to stand trial or else not criminally responsible for their actions, have shifted from indeterminate incarceration to minimal detention and community-based treatment. This document reviews the processes undertaken by persons identified as mentally disordered in court and identifies potential data-collection opportunities.

Description:

This edition of Juristat provides a profile of motor vehicle theft in Canada. It examines the international trends, methods and prevalence of organized crime in Canadian auto theft, as well as recent auto-theft prevention programs and strategies.

Description:

Cyber-crime is a global problem that in many instances transcends national borders. Historically, compiling meaningful statistics about this activity has been difficult because of the reluctance on the part of victims to report these offences to police. However, because of the financial losses sustained, an increasing number of these crimes are being reported to police. As a result, federal, provincial and territorial governments, as well as the police community, are interested in analyzing national trends on cyber-crime and their impact on Canadians.

In response to this need for information, the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics (CCJS) conducted a Special Study to examine the issues and data sources related to cyber-crime and to investigate the feasibility of collecting quantitative data from police services in Canada. This report examines definitions of cyber-crime, current legislation in Canada and other countries, existing data sources, summarizes results from consultations with selected police forces, and presents options for collecting cyber-crime data from police agencies.

Description: Adult correctional services, custodial admissions to provincial and territorial programs by sex, five years of data.

Description: Adult correctional services, custodial admissions to provincial and territorial programs by Indigenous identity, five years of data.

Description: Adult correctional services, custodial admissions to provincial and territorial programs by age group, five years of data.

Description: Adult correctional services, sentenced custody admissions to provincial and territorial programs by sex and sentence length ordered, five years of data.

Description: Adult correctional services, community admissions to provincial and territorial programs by sex, five years of data.

Description: Adult correctional services, community admissions to provincial and territorial programs by Indigenous identity, five years of data.

Description: Adult correctional services, community admissions to provincial and territorial programs by age group, five years of data.

Description: Adult correctional services, custodial and community admissions to federal programs, federal jurisdiction, five years of data.

Description: Adult correctional services, probation admissions to provincial and territorial programs by aggregate probation length ordered, five years of data.

Description: Adult correctional services, custodial releases from provincial and territorial programs by sex and aggregate time served, five years of data.

Description:

Providing effective treatment and rehabilitation of young offenders and ensuring the safety of Canadian communities are primary objectives of the youth justice system. Increasingly, this system has felt the pressure of public and media scrutiny. The recent parliamentary review and the media have focused on the most serious criminal events involving youths. The Youth Court Survey, through the collection and dissemination of youth court information, assists policy-makers and program managers as they struggle to redefine the nature of Canada's youth justice system. The Youth Court Survey provides data to monitor the current practice of the courts to deal with youths, aged 12 to 17 at the time of the offence, in the criminal justice system. This Juristat provides information on the nature and volume of cases processed by the youth courts of Canada, on accused characteristics, and on case outcomes during the 1995-96 fiscal year (April to March). National caseload trends are also included.

Description:

This report is an examination of crime data reported to the Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) survey during 1996. The data are presented within the context of both short and long term trends. Every year since 1962, Canada's police agencies have reported incidents that come to their attention to the UCR survey. Analyses in this report focus on trends in violent crime, property crime, impaired driving offences, drug offences and yotuth crime. Crime rates are examined at the national, provincial/territorial and major metropolitan levels. The trend in Canada's crime rate is put into perspective by comparing it with trends in police-reported crime form the United States and England and Wales. Also, comparisons between Canadian crime statistics and results from a recent victimization survey are drawn. Specific types of violent crime such as "home- invasions", wife assault and violent incidents involving weapons continue to be a concern to Canadians. Due to limits in the way crime statistics are collected from Canada's police agencies, it has traditionally been difficults to measure these areas. While national statistics are still unavailable, this Juristat will, for the first time, present trends for these crimes as reported by a sample of police agencies from 1993 to 1996.

Description:

Homicide tends to receive more media attention and consequently closer public scrutiny than any other criminal act. The act itself, especially if cruel in nature or targeting defenceless members of society, promotes fear in the general public. Despite a growing concern among Canadians about threats of attack or violence, the homicide rate has gradually been declining since the mid 1970s.

Description:

This Juristat examines the extent to which weapons, such as guns, knives and blunt objects, are used in violent crimes. In order to understand the prevalence of violent crime in general, the first section provides a brief explanation of the trends over time in Canada, while the second section of this Juristat provides a snapshot of the use of weapons in violent crime in 1995. The final section more specifically examines the national trends in weapon use in the crimes of homicide and robbery since 1975, with a particular focus upon the use of firearms.

Description:

The purpose of this report is to reduce the level of confusion arising from the use of crime data originating from two very different sources (i.e., the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey - UCR and the General Social Survey - GSS) and to inform discussions about which is the better measure of crime. It explains why the findings based on these data sources diverge and summarizes the major differences between the two surveys.

Description:

This Juristat examines data from the Adult Corrections Survey (ACS) and provides readers with a comprehensive overview of the adult prison population, operating costs, charge and offence information, sentencing data, and community supervision services. The findings reported here are provided in greater detail in the annual report Adult Correctional Services in Canada, 1995-96(Catalogue 85-211-XPB).

Description:

This juristat answers questions about the relative cost of justice services within the context of total government spending, and examines changes in spending patterns over time. In addition, financial profiles are provided for six major justice services: policing, courts, adult corrections, youth corrections, legal aid, and prosecutions. Some of the initiatives underway to give taxpayers more efficient and effective services are also discussed.

Description:

This Juristat deals with prostitution-related crime in Canada, that is, communicating, procuring and bawdy-house offences (see Prostitution in the Criminal Code). Incidents reported during the 1977-1995 period are examined, with a focus on recent years. A wide variety of data and other information sources dealing with street prostitution have been consulted to provide a multi-faceted look at these activities.

Description:

The purpose of this document is to provide a picture of the most recent sentencing trends in Canadian adult provincial courts. Several issues can be explored using the aggregate statistics found in this data base. First, what percentage of all convictions result in a sentence of imprisonment? Many commissions of inquiry as well as the federal government have noted the need to develop more alternatives to imprisonment, in order to reduce Canada's reliance on incarceration as a sanction. Second, what kinds of sanctions are associated with various offences? Third, are sentences proportional in their severity to the seriousness of the crimes for which they are imposed? The principle of proportionality in the use of punishment lies at the heart of the sentencing system in Canada. The recently enacted sentencing reform Bill, declared that "A sentence must be proportionate to the gravity of the offence and the degree of responsibility of the offender". Fourth, what kinds of offences attract non-custodial sanctions such as probation and fines?

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: 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.