Quick stats: Structured Intervention Units, fiscal year 2024 to 2025, quarter 2
The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) publicly reports on trends in structured intervention units (SIUs). The data is disaggregated, increasing transparency, and public accountability. CSC updates this information quarterly.
What is a Structured Intervention Unit
Unsure about the purpose and use of SIUs in institutions? Before scrolling down, check out our new SIU webpage, with helpful infographics, videos, and documents to give you a better sense of the history of SIUs and its role in rehabilitation and keeping our institutions safe.
General snapshot: End of quarter 2, September 2024
A snapshot provides the exact number of inmates on a given day. Note that the number of inmates in an SIU fluctuates every day and as such, direct comparison of 2 snapshot dates may not provide for an accurate assessment of trends.
| Atlantic | Quebec | Ontario | Prairie | Pacific | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| End of Q2 September 2024 | 46 | 61 | 51 | 80 | 33 | 271 |
(Source: Data Warehouse. Data current up to the end of quarter 2 of fiscal year 2024 to 2025)
| Indigenous | Black | Caucasian | Other | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| End of Q2 September 2024 | 114 | 41 | 90 | 26 | 271 |
(Source: Data Warehouse. Data current up to the end of quarter 2 of fiscal year 2024 to 2025)
|
Jeopardize the safety of any person or the security of the penitentiary |
Jeopardize the inmate's safety |
Interfere with an investigation that could lead to a criminal charge |
Total | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| End of Q2 September 2024 | 91 | 177 | 3 | 271 |
(Source: Data Warehouse. Data current up to the end of quarter 2 of fiscal year 2024 to 2025)
Note that inmates may choose to stay in an SIU and/or extend their existing stay in the SIU even when there is a viable alternative in a mainstream inmate population. While CSC’s focus is on returning inmates to the mainstream population as quickly as possible, we must also respect the wishes of inmates who prefer to reside in an SIU and we engage with them constantly to facilitate their return to a mainstream inmate population at the earliest opportunity.
Successful transfers
The results below show the total number of successful inmate transfers out of SIUs per the total number of transfers out of SIUs. The transfer is considered successful if there is no readmission to an SIU within 120 days after the return to a mainstream inmate population.
| Fiscal YearFootnote 4 | Indigenous | Black | Caucasian | Other | National |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2024 to 2025 (up to September 2024) |
63.5% |
65.1% |
63.0% |
58.1% |
63.0% |
2023 to 2024 |
61.8% |
52.6% |
59.7% |
64.5% |
59.9% |
2022 to 2023 |
62.6% |
62.7% |
64.7% |
70.1% |
63.9% |
2021 to 2022 |
64.6% |
65.6% |
67.0% |
74.8% |
66.4% |
2020 to 2021 |
58.1% |
52.7% |
56.0% |
53.1% |
56.2% |
(Source: Data Warehouse. Data current up to the end of quarter 2 of fiscal year 2024 to 2025)
Number of days spent in Structured Intervention Units
The results below show the median duration (in days) that inmates stay in SIUs within federal institutions.
Note that several reasons can impact the duration, such as the reason for the transfer, the individual needs of the inmate, and the risk to be managed. All efforts are made to return inmates to the mainstream population as soon as possible.
Independent External Decision-Makers (IEDMs) play an important role and provide oversight on the duration of stays in SIUs and the conditions of confinement of inmates while they stay in an SIU.
Staff can only transfer an inmate to an SIU if they have a legitimate reason to do so, and with no other viable alternative. An extremely limited number of justifications are allowed under the Corrections and Conditional Release Act (CCRA), and a transfer must fit under 1 of the 3 categories, shown below.
| Fiscal YearFootnote 5 |
Jeopardize the safety of any person or the security of the penitentiary |
Jeopardize the inmate's safety |
Interfere with an investigation that could lead to a criminal charge |
National |
|---|---|---|---|---|
2024 to 2025 (up to September 2024) |
9 |
29 |
4.5 |
17 |
2023 to 2024 |
7 |
23 |
6 |
10 |
2022 to 2023 |
7 |
26 |
7 |
14 |
2021 to 2022 |
12 |
43 |
6 |
26 |
2020 to 2021 |
8 |
30 |
6 |
13 |
(Source: Data Warehouse. Data current up to the end of quarter 2 of fiscal year 2024 to 2025)
Note that inmates may choose to stay in an SIU and/or extend their existing stay in the SIU even when there is a viable alternative in a mainstream inmate population. While CSC’s focus is on returning inmates to the mainstream population as quickly as possible, we must also respect the wishes of inmates who prefer to reside in an SIU and we engage with them constantly to facilitate their return to a mainstream inmate population at the earliest opportunity.
General: Transfers in/out to Structured Intervention Units
The following tables show general data on all transfers in and out of SIUs.
What influences fluctuations in Structured Intervention Unit usage
There are several factors that can influence SIU use, including:
- An increase in the number of violent and complex needs inmates entering CSC’s custody (such as, the more violent and complex needs inmates that we have in our custody, the more we may need to use SIUs to manage the risk in response to security incidents and threats)
- The introduction and the traffic of contraband, which can influence population dynamics (for example, conflicts, coercion)
The full range of factors that can influence fluctuations in SIU usage is an important area of research for CSC. You can access CSC’s research and publications here. CSC is committed to the ongoing monitoring and reporting of SIU trends so that it can be responsive to opportunities for improvement.
Transfers to Structured Intervention Units
The results below show the number of times inmates were transferred to an SIU from the mainstream inmate population. It is a cumulative number (such as, total) of transfer occurrences for the fiscal year. Each transfer to an SIU counts as an occurrence.
Note that inmates may be transferred to an SIU more than once in a reporting period. The total transfer occurrences expressed below do not equate to the total number of inmates who were transferred to an SIU.
| Fiscal YearFootnote 9 | Indigenous | Black | Caucasian | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2024 to 2025 (up to September 2024) |
532 |
180 |
492 |
153 |
1,357 |
2023 to 2024 |
1,120 |
413 |
1,118 |
235 |
2,886 |
2022 to 2023 |
828 |
287 |
818 |
140 |
2,073 |
2021 to 2022 |
634 |
178 |
513 |
107 |
1,432 |
2020 to 2021 |
884 |
325 |
879 |
174 |
2,262 |
(Source: Data Warehouse. Data current up to the end of quarter 2 of fiscal year 2024 to 2025)
Transfers out of Structured Intervention Units
The results below show the number of times inmates were transferred out of an SIU from the mainstream inmate population. It is a cumulative number (such as, total) of transfer occurrences for the fiscal year. Each transfer out of an SIU counts as an occurrence.
Transfers out of an SIU are a positive sign, as it normally means that CSC has identified a less restrictive and reasonable alternative to the SIU for the inmate and/or interventions in the SIU have led to the inmate’s ability to return to the mainstream inmate population. For information specifically on successful transfers out, consult the table, Percentage of successful transfers out of Structured Intervention Units per fiscal year: April 2020 to June 2024.
Note that inmates may be transferred out of an SIU more than once in a reporting period. The total transfer occurrences expressed below do not equate to the total number of inmates who were transferred out of an SIU.
| Fiscal YearFootnote 10 | Indigenous | Black | Caucasian | Other | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2024 to 2025 (up to September 2024) |
532 |
185 |
509 |
149 |
1,375 |
2023 to 2024 |
1,087 |
401 |
1,084 |
232 |
2,804 |
2022 to 2023 |
820 |
286 |
817 |
133 |
2,056 |
2021 to 2022 |
648 |
176 |
529 |
108 |
1,461 |
2020 to 2021 |
879 |
341 |
899 |
179 |
2,298 |
(Source: Data Warehouse. Data current up to the end of quarter 2 of fiscal year 2024 to 2025)
Appendix A: Definitions
Region
- Atlantic: includes institutions with SIUs within the provinces of New Brunswick and Nova Scotia.
- Quebec: includes institutions with SIUs within the province of Quebec.
- Ontario: includes institutions with SIUs within the province of Ontario.
- Prairie: includes institutions with SIUs within the provinces of Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta.
- Pacific: includes institutions with SIUs within the province of British Columbia.
Note that there are no federal institutions in the provinces of Prince Edward Island, Newfoundland and Labrador, Nunavut, Yukon and Northwest Territories.
Race categories
- Indigenous: includes offenders identified in the Offender Management System (OMS) as Inuit, Innu, Métis, and First Nations.
- Black: includes offenders identified in OMS as Black, Caribbean, and Sub-Sahara African.
- Caucasian: includes offenders identified in OMS as White, British Isles, European French, European-Eastern, European-Northern, European-Southern, and European-Western.
- Other: includes offenders identified in OMS as anything other than the above or those who have no race listed.
Note that the OMS is the offender records database used by CSC for administrative and operational purposes, as well as corporate reporting.
Transfer reasons
34 (1) A staff member may authorize the transfer of an inmate to a structured intervention unit under subsection 29.01(1) only if the staff member is satisfied that there is no reasonable alternative to the inmate’s confinement in a structured intervention unit and the staff member believes on reasonable grounds that
- the inmate has acted, has attempted to act or intends to act in a manner that jeopardizes the safety of any person or the security of a penitentiary and allowing the inmate to be in the mainstream inmate population would jeopardize the safety of any person or the security of the penitentiary;
- allowing the inmate to be in the mainstream inmate population would jeopardize the inmate’s safety; or
- allowing the inmate to be in the mainstream inmate population would interfere with an investigation that could lead to a criminal charge or a charge under subsection 41(2) of a serious disciplinary offence.
Corrections and Conditional Release Act, SC 1992, chapter 20, section 34(1)
Correctional Service of Canada's performance indicator measures
CSC uses standardized measures such as percentage and median to analyze performance results among different variables and over time. Standardized measures allow for comparisons of different populations and across various levels of the organization (for example, regional, national).
Percentage: A way of expressing a portion of something in relation to a total amount as a fraction of 100. It is often used with the percent sign (%).
Median: The middle value in a set of numbers when the values are arranged in order from smallest to largest. Median is used when the goal is to understand the midpoint of a dataset (such as, central tendency) without the influence of extreme values, which may skew the data.
For more information on standardized measures, you may also consult Statistics Canada.
Fiscal Year: A fiscal year starts on April 1st and ends on March 31st the following year.
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