Aging of justice personnel
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by Mathieu Charron, Racha Nemr and Roxan Vaillancourt
Justice personnel experience growth comparable to all Canadian workers
Most police officers between the ages of 25 and 49
Many private security officers are younger or older
Court personnel aging more rapidly
The number of correctional services workers fluctuates with the number of people supervised
Summary
Detailed data tables
References
Notes
Between 1966 and 2006, the median age of the Canadian population rose from 25 to 40 years (Martel and Caron-Malenfant, 2007) as a result of a drop in the fertility rate and an increase in life expectancy. This significant aging raises numerous issues in Canada, particularly in terms of the renewal of the population in general and the labour force in particular.
With the large cohort of baby boomers reaching retirement age, Canada's ability to maintain its labour force could be compromised. The purpose of this paper is to provide a demographic portrait of justice-related occupations and their evolution between 1991 and 2006.
First, the situation for all justice personnel will be described, then four groups will be analysed in more detail: police officers,1 private security personnel,2 court personnel3 and correctional services personnel.4 Most of the data analysed are from the 1991, 1996, 2001 and 2006 Censuses of population, and some complementary information from other sources is also used. The census data used in this report are available in table format at the end of the document. Results presented in this document summarize the trends observed across Canada and may not reflect provincial trends.
Justice workers have been divided into categories according to the Standard Occupational Classification (SOC 1991). All workers in the labour force were taken into account. The labour force includes all people aged 15 and older who were employed or unemployed during the week prior to Census Day. The terms 'personnel' and 'workers' are used in this paper to refer to members of the labour force who are part of a specific occupational group.
Justice personnel experience growth comparable to all Canadian workers
The number of people in justice-related occupations increased by almost 60,000 between 1991 and 2006, or close to 20%, which is slightly higher than the 14% growth observed for all workers in the country (including justice personnel) during the same period. Virtually all of the increase in justice personnel during the study period occurred after 1996. In 1991, as in 2006, justice workers represented about 2% of all Canadian workers.
In 2006, the median age of justice personnel was comparable to that of the Canadian labour force as a whole (41 years). In general, the age of workers increased at a pace comparable to that of all Canadian workers.
While the median age of people in justice-related occupations is similar to that of Canadian workers as a whole, their age structure is slightly different. Most justice-related occupations require specific qualifications (Goudreau, 2002), and because of these educational requirements, only a small proportion of these workers are younger than 25, while many are aged 50 and older (Chart 1). This difference is offset by the large cohort of justice personnel aged 25 to 39, who make up almost one third of all persons in justice-related occupations. All in all, justice personnel maintain a median age comparable to that of all workers in Canada despite their educational requirements because there are many young workers under 40 years of age.
Chart 1
Age structure of justice personnel, 2006
Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census.
Most police officers between the ages of 25 and 49
The number of police officers decreased by 1,645 between 1991 and 1996, then grew by 9,040 between 1996 and 2006. This variation was reflected in the number of officers per 100,000 population, which declined from 202.5 in 1991 to 183.5 in 1996, then increased to 191.3 in 2006 (Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, 2008).
Overall, the median age of police officers has increased less markedly than that of Canadian workers as a whole. More specifically, the median age of police officers grew by only 2 years from 1991 to 2006, while the median age of all Canadian workers increased by 5 years.
Compared to the age structure of the entire Canadian labour force, police officers showed a heavy concentration between the ages of 25 and 49. In 2006, almost 80% of police officers were in this age group, while this proportion was 57% for the total Canadian labour force (Chart 2). Relatively few police officers were younger than 25 or older than 49.
Chart 2
Age structure of police officers, 2006
Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census.
The level of education police officers are required to have when they are hired has been increasing steadily (Steering Committee for the Human Resources Study of Public Policing in Canada 2000; Johnson et al., 2007). This may be the reason for the small proportion of police officers under 25 years of age (Chart 3).
Chart 3
Growth in police officers by age group, 1991 to 2006
Sources: Statistics Canada, 1991 and 2006 censuses.
As previously mentioned, the vast majority of police officers were between 25 and 49 years of age in 2006. Indeed, almost half (47%) were between 25 and 39 in 2006, with a slight increase of 2% in this age group between 1991 and 2006. This growth may appear to be small but it is significant given that, during this same period, the large baby boomer cohort moved from the 25 to 39 age group in 1991, to the 50 to 64 age group in 2006. For the country as a whole, the number of workers aged between 25 and 39 fell by 17% between 1991 and 2006.
There were relatively few workers aged 50 and older among police officers (16%) compared with the Canadian labour force as a whole (27%). This is because most police departments offer full pensions after 25 years of service, which encourages police officers to retire at a younger age (Steering Committee for the Human Resources Study of Public Policing in Canada, 2000). Despite the small proportion of police officers aged 50 and older, their numbers increased by 75% between 1991 and 2006, which is comparable to the increase in the same age group among all Canadian workers.
Workers in their forties accounted for one third of police officers in 2006. Given that many police officers retire at a relatively young age, it can be assumed that many of these workers are approaching retirement age. The proportion of police officers in their forties remained relatively steady between 1991 (31%) and 2006 (32%).
Like their age structure, the work of police officers has changed since 1991. The number of Criminal Code incidents has fallen sharply in recent years. In 2006, there were 41.1 incidents per police officer compared to 51.1 in 1991 (Johnson et al., 2007). Much of the drop in the number of criminal incidents is due to a 32% decline in the number of property incidents between 1991 and 2006. During this same period, the number of violent incidents rose 4%.
These data provide only a very limited picture of the actual workload of police officers. According to the Steering Committee for the Human Resources Study of Public Policing in Canada (2000), criminal incidents are becoming more complex with the development of international crime organizations and cybercrime, for example. An increasing number of police investigations require a lot of work, and crime prevention, community policing, and the need to adapt to changes in the legal system and to the greater diversity of the Canadian population are expanding the duties of police officers. Again, according to the Steering Committee for the Human Resources Study of Public Policing in Canada (2000), the requirement of a higher level of education from new recruits is related to the increased diversity and complexity of the tasks expected from police officers.
The physical nature of police officers' work has always meant that few of them continue in their profession beyond age 55. The aging of the labour force and the increased educational requirements at recruitment represent obstacles to the renewal of this workforce. In light of these major challenges and the essential nature of the work of this group, managers in this field have had to seriously consider renewal of their workforce and to adjust their human resource practices (Police Sector Council, 2006).
Many baby boomers who were police officers have already retired, which releases this occupational group from one of the pressures still weighing on others. However, the main challenge in the short term relates to workers between 40 and 50 years of age, who account for almost one third of all police officers and who could be retiring in the near future. Retention of some members of this age group is crucial to ensuring management functions and mentoring of younger and less experienced workers (Johnson et al., 2007).
Many private security officers are younger or older
While private security officers may perform many police-like functions, they act on behalf of their employer, and not necessarily on behalf of the public (Li, 2008). Their role is determined by their client's needs. Security guards and private investigators form the core of this group of workers.
Since 1991, private security personnel have experienced more rapid growth (19%) than police officers (12%). Results from the 2006 Census show that there were about three private security officers for every two police officers.
The age structure of private security personnel is quite different from that of police officers (Chart 4). In 2006, workers in their twenties accounted for over one quarter of private security officers (27%) but only one sixth (17%) of police officers. There was also a higher proportion of workers aged 55 and older among private security officers (25%) than among police officers (6%). In contrast, workers aged 30 to 49 accounted for only one third (36%) of private security officers but two thirds of police officers (66%).
Chart 4
Age structure of private security personnel, police officers and Canadian workers, 2006
Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census.
These differences could be due to the similarity between the duties of private security officers and police officers (surveillance, maintenance of order and law enforcement). Work experience as a security guard can facilitate being hired as a police officer (Johnson et al. ,2007). Similarly, many retired police officers may be able to continue their careers as private security officers (Rigakos, 2002).
Court personnel aging most rapidly
Court personnel covers occupational groups that are quite distinct in terms of their duties and their demographic structures. Canadian courts cover a wide range of jurisdictions (federal, provincial, municipal) and specialize in various fields (criminal, civil, family, small claims, etc.). This diversity produces many trends with respect to workload and human resources.
In general, it appears that the courts systems are becoming more complex (Benyekhlef et al., 2006). As an example, the increase in the number and the diversity of services provided by courts (notably in terms of accessibility), the integration of technological changes (such as the conversion of documents to electronic format) and the creation of new specialties (such as media relations specialists) increases the need for workers to ensure the proper operation of the courts (Benyekhlef et al., 2006). These requirements are likely a factor in the 24% increase in the number of court workers since 1991.
Overall, the median age (43 years) of court workers is higher than that of Canadian workers as a whole (41 years). In the court workers' group, only 1 person in 20 is under the age of 25, while in the Canadian labour force, 1 worker in 6 is in the same age group (Chart 5). Workers in all other age groups account for a higher proportion among courts workers than among Canadian workers as a whole. This is possibly due to the fact that most of the tasks performed by court workers require a level of expertise that is only rarely achieved by young workers. In 2006, for example, barely 1% of lawyers and notaries were under 25 years of age.
Chart 5
Age structure of court personnel, 2006
Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census.
The median age for all court personnel rose from 36 years in 1991 to 43 years in 2006. This seven-year increase is greater than that for Canadian workers as a whole, whose median age climbed from 36 years to 41 years. This rapid increase in median age stems from the fact that the number of court personnel under 30 years of age fell 29% between 1991 and 2006, a marked decline compared to that of all Canadian workers under age 30 (-8%). In contrast, the number of justice workers in their fifties tripled during the same period, while for the Canadian labour force in general, this number did not quite double (Chart 6).
Chart 6
Growth in court personnel by age group, 1991 to 2006
Source: Statistics Canada, 1991 and 2006 censuses.
At 39 years, paralegals represented the group of court personnel with the lowest median age in 2006. In addition, their numbers having increased by 20,700, they were the group with the strongest growth (130%). Only lawyers and notaries recorded stronger growth in absolute numbers (22,045). It is possible that the substantial increase in these two groups is related to the fact that cases before criminal courts are increasingly complex (Marth, 2008; Thomas, 2008) and thus require more work.5 The increased complexity of criminal cases may also apply to other types of cases.
In 2006, most court worker groups had a median age in the forties (Text table 1). Judges were clearly the oldest group with a median age of 58 years. This situation is due to the fact that the duties performed by judges require extensive experience in the legal system and a reputation which is usually acquired after many years of practice. In 1991, the median age of judges was also very high at 56 years.
| 1991 | 2006 | Growth from 1991 to 2006 | 1991 | 2006 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| number | percentage | Median age | |||
| All Canadian workers | 14,474,940 | 16,498,525 | 14 | 36 | 41 |
| All courts personnel | 129,640 | 160,385 | 24 | 36 | 43 |
| Lawyers and Quebec notaries | 53,060 | 75,105 | 42 | 38 | 44 |
| Paralegal and related occupations | 15,980 | 36,680 | 130 | 33 | 39 |
| Legal secretaries | 44,055 | 27,585 | -37 | 33 | 44 |
| Court recorders and medical transcriptionists | 5,440 | 7,765 | 43 | 36 | 46 |
| Court officers and justices of the peace | 3,250 | 4,555 | 40 | 45 | 47 |
| Clerks of process | 3,175 | 3,395 | 7 | 37 | 43 |
| Judges | 2,250 | 2,645 | 18 | 56 | 58 |
| Sheriffs and bailiffs | 2,410 | 2,630 | 9 | 39 | 45 |
| Source: Statistics Canada, 1991 and 2006 Census. | |||||
The median age of legal secretaries6 has risen by 11 years since 1991, to 44 years of age in 2006. This rapid increase could reflect in part the fact that relatively few legal secretaries have been hired since 1991 or that many workers have changed their career from legal secretaries to paralegals. There were 16,470 fewer legal secretaries in 2006 than in 1991. Furthermore, in 2006, barely one half (52%) of legal secretaries were under age 45, compared with 81% in 1991.
The marked increase in age of court personnel poses a major challenge in terms of workforce renewal. The number of court workers under 40 years of age fell 20% between 1991 and 2006, while the number of court workers aged 40 and older grew by 91%. Almost one fifth of these workers are 55 years of age and older and should be retiring in the near future. The high educational requirements, combined with the complexity of cases, will place additional pressure on the renewal of workers in this sector.
The number of correctional services workers fluctuates with the number of people supervised
The median age of correctional services personnel is comparable to that of all Canadian workers for both 1991 (37 years) and 2006 (41 years). However, their age structure is much more compact (Chart 7) in that there are more correctional services workers between the ages of 25 and 54 (84%) than is the case for Canadian workers as a whole (69%). In contrast, significantly fewer of them are under the age of 25 (4% compared to 16%) or 55 years and older (12% compared to 15%). This age structure is similar to that of police officers discussed previously.
Chart 7
Age structure of correctional services personnel, 2006
Source: Statistics Canada, 2006 Census.
The change in the age structure of correctional services personnel is consistent with the national trend (Chart 8). However, their growth is stronger for workers aged 40 to 54. For all age groups, probation and parole officers experienced faster growth than did correctional service officers.
Chart 8
Growth in correctional services personnel by age group, 1991 to 2006
Source: Statistics Canada, 1991 and 2006 Censuses.
The number of correctional service officers rose by 6% from 1991 to 1996. This was followed by a 3% decrease between 1996 and 2001, then a 7% increase from 2001 to 2006. These variations in the number of correctional service officers show the same trend as that of the total number of people in custody (whether they were sentenced or remanded), as illustrated by the Corrections Key Indicators Report for Adults and Young Offenders data collected for this period: a 25% increase between 1991 and 1996, a 7% decrease between 1996 and 2001 and a 4% growth between 2001 and 2006.
Despite these fluctuations, it can be assumed that the officers' workload has increased over time. This is because, since 1991, the number of people in remand has jumped 128% while the number in sentenced custody has declined by 26%. Remand results in a greater workload for the officers. For example, people in remand must be transported more often because they appear in court more frequently (Landry and Sinha, 2008).
The number of probation and parole officers experienced sharper growth, climbing from 3,675 in 1991 to 5,720 in 2006, an increase of 56%. This growth occurred mainly between 1991 and 2001, when the number of probation and parole officers almost doubled. Between 2001 and 2006, their numbers fell 14%. This evolution is comparable to that of the number of offenders under supervision, which rose 53% between 1991 and 2001 before dropping 13% between 2001 and 2006.
Summary
Overall, justice personnel follow a similar aging trend to that of the total labour force. Between 1991 and 2006, the number of justice workers under 40 years of age declined, while workers aged 40 and older increased sharply. These opposing trends reflect the demographic change in the Canadian population as a whole: the decline in the fertility rate since the 1960s explains the drop in the number of persons under 40 years of age, while the aging of the large baby boomer cohort explains the increase in the number of persons 40 years of age and older.
The various groups of justice personnel present contrasting profiles. Among police officers, the number of workers under 40 years of age has remained stable since 1991. Among all justice sectors, the private security sector is the only one which saw an increase in its number of workers under the age of 40 between 1991 and 2006 (12%).
As for correctional services personnel, their trends are in line with those of all Canadian workers. The number of correctional services workers under the age of 40 decreased by 9% while the number of those aged 40 and over increased by 56%.
Court personnel are aging more rapidly than the Canadian labour force as a whole. In this sector, the number of workers under 40 years of age declined 20% between 1991 and 2006, while the number of workers 40 years and older almost doubled in the same period. This justice sector could face the greatest challenge in managing workforce growth and renewal in the future.
Studies show that the labour force in Canada will probably continue to grow in the next 25 years (Martel et al., 2007). Should the justice sector maintain its recruitment and renewal efforts, the number of justice workers would also be expected to increase.Despite this growth, however, the age structure of the Canadian workforce will continue to age and the proportions of workers within the oldest age groups will increase, partly because the participation rate is growing for older workers (Martel et al., 2007). The increasing age structure will no doubt bring new challenges to the labour force of the various sectors of justice personnel.
Detailed data tables
Table 1 Labour force and age structure of workers in justice related occupations, Canada, 2006
Table 2 Labour force and age structure of workers in justice related occupations, Canada, 2001
Table 3 Labour force and age structure of workers in justice related occupations, Canada, 1996
Table 4 Labour force and age structure of workers in justice related occupations, Canada, 1991
References
Benyekhlef, Karim, Fabien Gélinas, Robert Hann, Lorne Sossin and Carl Baar. 2006. AlternativeModels of Court Administration. Ottawa. Canadian Judicial Council.
Carrington, Peter J. 2001. "Population aging and crime in Canada, 2000-2041." Canadian Journal of Criminology. Vol. 43, no. 3. p. 331–356.
Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics. 2008. Police Resources in Canada, 2008. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-225-X. Ottawa. /pub/85-225-x/2008000/part-partie1-eng.htm.
Goudreau, Jean-Pierre. 2002. A Statistical Profile of Persons Working in Justice-Related Professions in Canada, 1996. Jodi-Anne Brzozowski (ed.). Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-555-X. Ottawa. Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics. /pub/85-555-x/85-555-x1996001-eng.pdf.
Johnson, Philip, Ramona Packhman, Sheilagh Stronach and David Sissons. 2007. National Diagnostic on Human Resources in Policing. Ottawa. Police Sector Council. Report prepared by Hay Group. http://www.policecouncil.ca/reports/PSCHRDiagnostic.pdf.
Landry, Laura and Maire Sinha. 2008. "Adult Correctional Services in Canada, 2005/2006." Juristat.Vol. 28, no. 6. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X. /pub/85-002-x/85-002-x2008006-eng.pdf.
Li, Geoffrey. 2008. "Private Security and Public Policing." Juristat.Vol. 28, no. 10. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X. /pub/85-002-x/2008010/article/10730-eng.htm.
Martel, Laurent and Eric Caron-Malenfant. 2007. Portrait of the Canadian Population in 2006 , by Age and Sex, 2006 Census. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 97-551-XIE. Ottawa. Demography Division. http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/english/census06/analysis/agesex/pdf/97-551-XIE2006001.pdf.
Martel Laurent, Eric Caron-Malenfant, Samuel Vézina and Alain Bélanger. 2007. "Labour force projections for Canada, 2006-2031," Canadian Economic Observer.Vol. 20, no. 6. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 11-010-X. /pub/11-010-x/00607/9980-eng.htm.
Marth, Michael. 2008. "Adult Criminal Court Statistics, 2006-2007." Juristat.Vol. 28, no.5. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X. /pub/85-002-x/85-002-x2008005-eng.pdf.
Police Sector Council. 2006. Policing Environment 2005. Ottawa. http://www.policecouncil.ca/reports/PSCScan2005.pdf.
Pottie Bunge, Valerie, Holly Johnson and Thierno A. Baldé. 2005. Exploring Crime Patterns in Canada. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-561-M2005005. Ottawa. Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics. Crime and Justice Research Paper Series, no. 5. /pub/85-561-m/85-561-m2005005-eng.htm.
Rigakos, George. 2002. The new parapolice: Risk markets and commodified social control. Toronto. University of Toronto Press.
Steering Committee for the Human Resources Study of Public Policing in Canada. 2000. Strategic Human Resources Analysis of Public Policing in Canada. Ottawa. http://www.policecouncil.ca/reports/HRDCReportEnglish.pdf.
Thomas, Jennifer. 2008. "Youth Court Statistics, 2006/2007." Juristat.Vol. 28, no. 4. Statistics Canada Catalogue no. 85-002-X. /pub/85-002-x/85-002-x2008004-eng.pdf.
Notes
- Thepolice officers' group includes commissioned police officers (A351) and police officers (G611).
- Theprivate security personnel group includes security guards and related occupations (G631) and other protective service occupations (G625).
- Thecourt personnel group includes legal secretaries (B212), court recorders and medical transcriptionists (B214), court officers and justices of the peace (B317), court clerks (B543), judges (E011), lawyers and Quebec notaries (E012), paralegal and related occupations (E211) and sheriffs and bailiffs (G621).
- Thecorrectional services personnel group includes probation and parole officers and related occupations (E025) and correctional service officers (G622).
- The complexification of cases is measured by the increase in the number of multiple-charge cases (Marth 2008; Thomas 2008).
- Coding changes might account for a few errors in the number of legal secretaries reported. Therefore, caution should be used in analysing data on this group of workers.
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