Crime and justice

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:

This issue of Juristat examines how much is being spent to operate the justice system in Canada. Trends in spending and personnel are discussed for policing, courts, legal aid, criminal prosecutions, and corrections. The report data come from several sources, including the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics' resource, Statistics Canada's Financial Management System, and expenditure and personnel surveys. The data cover the period up to 2000-2001.

Description:

The Adult Correctional Services Survey (ACSS) collects annual aggregate data from all jurisdictions on the delivery of adult correctional services from both the provincial, territorial and federal correctional systems. Key themes include the average daily counts of adults in custodial facilities, including remand, as well as monthly counts of probationers; and new admissions (commencements) to correctional programs of sentenced custody, probation, conditional sentences and other community-based programs. The survey also captures information on conditional releases to the community, including parole and statutory release. In addition, the survey collects information on the financial and human resources involved in the delivery of adult correctional services. While trends are presented for the key units of count, the reference period for this release is 2000-2001.

Description:

In January 1999, the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics (CCJS) received a commitment of four years funding from the federal government's Policy Research Initiative (PRI) to conduct a study on hate crime in Canada. The purpose of the overall study is to enhance our understanding of hate crime and to assess the feasibility of collecting police-reported hate crime statistics in Canada. In 2001, the CCJS released a report entitled "Hate crime in Canada: an overview of issues and data sources", catalogue no. 85-551-XIE.

This report helped to address some questions regarding the nature and magnitude of hate crimes in Canada, although certain data gaps were identified. As a result, it was determined that a pilot survey should be conducted with police departments that collect hate crime statistics. In order to determine specific information needs for the pilot survey, consultations were held with a number of academics; members of various non-governmental and community organizations; and federal and provincial departments responsible for the administration of justice, as well as police departments.

The information contained in this report provides a summary of the consultations that were held between September 2001 and March 2002.

Description:

The Juristat publication, "Pilot analysis of recidivism among convicted youth and young adults, 1999/00," summarizes trends from the provincial/territorial courts across Canada that provided data to the Adult Criminal Court Survey (ACCS) and the Youth Court Survey (YCS). This report attempts to gauge the prevalence of recidivism in young adults by examining the conviction histories of young adults convicted in Canadian criminal courts in 1999-2000. It also examines the transition from youth to adult offending, including patterns of re-offending, differences in conviction histories by age of onset and the impact of conviction history on court sentencing.

Description:

This Juristat presents and analyzes information on young offender admissions to custody and community services, with breakdowns by custody (remand, secure, and open) and probation, and key case characteristics such as age, sex, Aboriginal/non-Aboriginal status, and most serious offence. In addition, it includes data pertaining to releases from remand, secure custody, and open custody by sex and time served. These breakdowns are presented and analyzed at the national and provincial/territorial level.

Alternative measures refer to formalized programs across Canada through which persons who would otherwise proceed to court are dealt with via non-judicial sanctions. An analysis on alternative measures includes data pertaining to the participation and agreement by the youth to enter these community-based alternatives. The key case characteristics of this survey are similar to those collected by the Youth Custody and Community Services survey.

The Youth Key Indicators describe average daily counts (caseload), which measure the volume of offenders held in custody or on probation on an average day. This information also provides an examination of youth incarceration and probation rates in Canada.

Data summarized in this Juristat are primarily drawn from three perspectives: 1) The Youth Custody and Community Services (YCCS) survey. The scope of the survey is to collect and analyze information on the application of dispositions under the Young Offenders Act from provincial and territorial agencies responsible for youth corrections and programs. 2) The Alternative Measures survey, which collects and analyzes data on the number of agreements achieved and completed. And, 3) The Youth Key Indicator Report that measures the average counts of youth in custody (remand, secure and open) and on probation.

Description:

This publication presents data on young offender admissions to custody and community services, with breakdowns by custody (remand, secure, open) and probation, and key case characteristics, such as age, sex, Aboriginal/non-Aboriginal status and most serious offence. In addition, it includes data pertaining to releases from remand, secure custody and open custody, by sex and time served. These breakdowns are presented at the national and provincial/territorial levels.

Data presented in this publication are drawn from two primary sources: 1) The Youth Custody and Community Services (YCCS) Survey. The objective of this survey is to collect and analyse information on the application of dispositions under the Young Offenders Act from provincial and territorial agencies responsible for youth corrections and programs. 2) The Youth Key Indicator Report (YKIR). This survey measures the average counts of youth in custody (remand, secure and open) and on probation. The YKIR describes average daily counts (caseload), which measure the volume of offenders held in custody or on probation on an average day at month-end. This information also provides an examination of youth incarceration and probation rates in Canada.

Description:

Recognizing that there is the need for better information and statistics on organized crime, and for methodologies to measure its impact on Canadians, the federal, provincial and territorial ministers responsible for Justice have endorsed a plan to begin addressing Canada's data gap in the area of organized crime.

The Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics was contracted by the Solicitor General of Canada to investigate the feasibility of collecting quantitative data on organized crime. This report highlights the lessons learned during consultations with selected police intelligence units and it presents a number of options for data collection.

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:

Provincial and territorial governments are responsible for the administration of community-based correctional services in Canada for adults and youth, which include, but are not limited to probation, conditional sentences, and temporary absence programs. Although the Criminal Code of Canada, the Young Offenders Act and the Youth Criminal Justice Act set out guidelines, jurisdictions are not obliged to follow them directly. Jurisdictions will differ, sometimes substantially, in their administration.

This publication provides a descriptive overview of sentences and the delivery of community correctional services across all jurisdictions in Canada for both adult and youth. In addition, this publication reports on community corrections data collected from the special study, as well as data from the Adult Correctional Services Survey, the Key Indicator Report, the Youth Custody and Community Services Survey, and the Alternative Measures Survey. It examines admissions and average counts of adults and youth who were under community supervision, showing trends as far back as 1993/94. Furthermore, data on offender characteristics, such as sex and Aboriginal status are also presented.

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 1988, 1993, and 1999. The target population was Canadians aged 15 years and older living in the ten provinces.

This report provides an overview of the main findings from cycle 18 of the General Social Survey on Victimization and makes comparisons with previous survey cycles. The analysis focuses on Canadians' outlook on crime and the criminal justice system, as well as their fear of crime. Variations by province are also presented.

Description:

This report presents an overview of Canadians' outlook on crime and the criminal justice system at both the national and Census Metropolitan Area levels. The information was collected in 2004 through Cycle 18 of the General Social Survey (GSS) on victimization. This survey, which has been previously carried out in 1999, 1993, and 1988, collects information on Canadians' experience of victimization, and public attitudes towards crime, police, courts, prison and parole. 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:

Crime statistics for 2003 were first released in July 2004. Canadian crime statistics, 2003, released today, presents additional detailed information. Standard crime tables are presented for Canada, the provinces and territories, and all census metropolitan areas. Also included in the publication is a set of 20 tables from the Incident-based Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, based on data collected from 122 police departments in nine provinces that dealt with 61% of the national volume of police-reported crime. These tables examine the characteristics of the victims and the accused (their age and sex, the relationship of the accused to the victim, level of injury and weapon causing injury), as well as the criminal incident itself (location of the incident, target of violation, presence of weapons and type of property stolen).

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 publication presents data on young offender admissions to custody and community services, with breakdowns by custody (remand, secure, open) and probation, and key case characteristics, such as age, sex, Aboriginal/non-Aboriginal status and most serious offence. In addition, it includes data pertaining to releases from remand, secure custody and open custody, by sex and time served. These breakdowns are presented at the national and provincial/territorial levels.

Data presented in this publication are drawn from two primary sources: 1) The Youth Custody and Community Services (YCCS) Survey. The objective of this survey is to collect and analyse information on the application of dispositions under the Young Offenders Act from provincial and territorial agencies responsible for youth corrections and programs. 2) The Youth Key Indicator Report (YKIR). This survey measures the average counts of youth in custody (remand, secure and open) and on probation. The YKIR describes average daily counts (caseload), which measure the volume of offenders held in custody or on probation on an average day at month-end. This information also provides an examination of youth incarceration and probation rates in Canada.

Description:

Bulletins are short documents that provide information or statistics on important justice related topics. The articles cover current issues in justice such as impaired driving, youth and crime, intermittent sentencing, criminal harassment, etc.

Description:

This product provides data on revenues, expenditures, and caseloads of legal aid plans in Canada. Data are presented in table format, and includes aggregate data at the provincial/territorial level on the sources of revenue, expenditures and caseloads associated with the delivery of legal aid in Canada. An analytical discussion of these data is provided in the associated publication entitled Legal aid in Canada: resource and caseload statistics, catalogue no. 85F0015XIE, which provides an overview of the revenues, expenditures and caseloads of legal aid plans in Canada.

Description:

This report presents data from the Courts Personnel and Expenditure Survey including national totals and jurisdictional information on personnel (judiciary and court staff); judiciary by level of court; expenditures by type (i.e. salaries and benefits); and operating expenditures (i.e. law library/publication costs, witness costs). The survey is administered on a biennial basis and this year's report covers data for the 2000/01 fiscal year.

Description:

This report presents highlights from the Criminal Prosecutions Personnel and Expenditures Survey including national totals and jurisdictional information on type of staff; use of contract lawyers; expenditures by type (i.e. salaries and benefits, administrative services, etc.); and the types of services provided, (e.g. specialized services versus general duties). The survey is administered on a biennial basis, be reporting data for the 2000-01 fiscal year.

Description: Online child sexual exploitation and abuse encompasses a broad range of behaviors, including those related to child sexual abuse material, sexting materials, sextortion, grooming and luring, live child sexual abuse streaming and made-to-order content. Building on a previously published article focusing on the prevalence, trends and characteristics of police-reported online child sexual exploitation and abuse in Canada, the current article focuses on the pathways of these incidents through the justice system. Using linked data from the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey and the Integrated Criminal Court Survey, the current article examines criminal justice outcomes of online child sexual exploitation and abuse incidents that were reported to police between 2014 and 2020, focusing on how incidents progressed to court, and their court outcomes.

Description: Using multiple surveys, this article examines cyberbullying and cybervictimization among Canadian youth and young adults aged 12 to 29. With rates of online and social media use being high among young people, there is an increased risk of online forms of bullying and victimization. This paper examines the prevalence of cyberbullying and cybervictimization among young people, with a focus on identifying the at-risk populations, behaviours related to prevalence, such as internet and smart phone usage, and the association of online victimization with other forms of victimization, such as fraud and assault.

Description: Using 2019 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth, this infographic looks at the prevalence of cyberbullying among youth aged 12 to 17 and the relationship between frequency of social media use and cyberbullying. It also examines potential factors to protect youth against the online victimization.

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

Description:

This Juristat article presents information on the nature and extent of crime in the rural areas of the Canadian provinces. This includes analysis of recent trends in crime rates and severity in rural and urban areas, both at the national and provincial levels. The report also examines the specific nature and extent of crime in rural areas of the provincial North. Analysis uses police-reported data from the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey and the Homicide Survey, as well as self-reported data from General Social Survey on Canadians' Safety (Victimization).

Description: Infographic with main findings from the "Police-reported crime in rural and urban areas in the Canadian provinces, 2021" Juristat article.

Description: In Canada, national-level estimates have primarily focused on physical types of child maltreatment (e.g., physical abuse, sexual abuse), while less is known about non-physical types of maltreatment (e.g., emotional abuse, exposure to intimate partner violence, physical neglect). Using data from the 2018 Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces, this study examines the percentage of individuals living in Canada who reported experiencing no maltreatment, only non-physical types of maltreatment, only physical types of child maltreatment, or both non-physical and physical child maltreatment.

Description: This Juristat article examines police-reported data on men and boys' experiences with violent victimization in Canada. Some self-reported data are also presented. Overall, it provides information on rates of victimization, and the characteristics of incidents, victims and accused persons.

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

Description: Using retrospective data from the Survey of Safety in Public and Private Spaces (SSPPS), this Juristat article examines factors associated with an elevated likelihood of experiencing childhood victimization and further identifies adult outcomes that are associated with experiences of childhood victimization, including adult mental and physical health, drug and alcohol use, and subsequent victimization in adulthood. The article also includes information on additional experiences of child maltreatment, including experiences of emotional abuse and neglect and witnessing violence in the home.

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.