Crime and justice

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:

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: 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: 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: Number and rate (per 100,000 population) of homicide victims, Canada and Census Metropolitan Areas, 1981 to 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: Number of homicide victims and persons accused of homicide, by Indigenous identity, (total, by Indigenous identity; Indigenous identity; non-Indigenous identity; unknown Indigenous identity), age group (total all ages; 0 to 11 years; 12 to 17 years; 18 to 24 years; 25 to 29 years; 30 to 39 years; 40 to 49 years; 50 to 59 years; 60 years and over; age unknown) and gender (all genders; male; female; gender unknown), Canada, 1974 to 2023.

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

Description: Police-reported organized crime, by most serious violation (homicide and attempted murder, assault, sexual violations, kidnapping and hostage taking, human trafficking, robbery and theft, firearm and weapons violations, extortion and criminal harassment, arson, forgery and fraud, child pornography, criminal organization involvement, probation and court violations, drug possession and trafficking, and other violations), Canada (selected police services), 2016 to 2023.

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 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.