Comparing federal men admissions and custody profiles: 2020-21
Research Highlights: Profiles of men admissions and in-custody differ substantially due to the accumulation of individual's with longer sentences.
Publication
No RIB-21-20
2022
Research in Brief- PDF
Why we are doing this study
Statistics Population profiles of federally sentenced men will yield different pictures depending on whether they are based on admissions drawn over a period time or an in-custody snapshot taken at a particular point in time. Demographic and sentence information is recorded for every offender and thereby the entire population. These profile variables can serve to inform a strategic correctional management framework that includes needs, capacity, process and performance assessments.
What we did
From the Correctional Service of Canada's Corporate Reporting System-Modernized (CRS-M) reporting platform, data were gathered on the 2020-21 federal men admissions and year-end in-custody population (4,854 and 11,778, respectively) in relation to five major characteristics, namely age, diversity, sentence length, major offence and offender security level. Given the recent declines in federal men admissions of 28.6% (6,803 in 2018-19 to 4,854 in 2020-21) and year-end in-custody counts of 12.4% (13,448 in 2018-19 to 11,778 in 2020-21) over the last three years, one may expect to see the impact of muted growth and reduced populations.
What we found
Statistics show that men admissions and year-end in-custody populations are roughly equivalent proportionally in diversity representation. These profiles are reflective of populations where the majority are non-White and among them the largest representation are Indigenous.
However, the profile of men admissions differs from the year-end custody population in that substantially more are younger and serving shorter sentences; fewer are convicted for murder; and less are classified as maximum security and more are as yet undetermined due to the security classification process still in progress at the time of data extraction. These observed differences between admissions and in-custody snapshots are explained by the accumulation of longer sentenced individuals in the in-custody snapshots, particularly those convicted of murder with later eligibility dates for conditional release.
| Characteristic | Admissions1 % (n) | Year-end Custody % (n) |
|---|---|---|
| Age | ||
| < 35 | 50.7 (2,460) | 38.6 (4,544) |
| 35 to 64 | 46.7(2,268) | 55.8 (6,574) |
| 65+ | 2.6 (126) | 5.6 (660) |
| Diversity | ||
| White | 47.8 (2,318) | 47.3 (5,575) |
| Indigenous | 34.8 (1,688) | 31.0 (3,646) |
| Black | 6.7 (323) | 8.9 (1,043) |
| Asian | 4.0 (193) | 5.2 (609) |
| Other | 6.8 (298) | 7.7 (905) |
| Sentence Length | ||
| < 4 years | 64.1 (3,113) | 32.0 (3,764) |
| 4 years+ | 32.7 (1,588) | 38.9 (4,582) |
| Indeterminate | 3.2 (153) | 29.1 (3,432) |
| Major Offence | ||
| Murder (I or II) | 2.8 (136) | 23.3 (2,741) |
| Violent (Schedule I) | 61.6 (2,989) | 55.6 (6,546) |
| Drug (Schedule II) | 18.2 (883) | 12.0 (1,417) |
| Non-Violent (Others) | 17.4 (846) | 9.1 (1,074) |
| Security Level | ||
| Maximum | 8.2 (398) | 13.6 (1,599) |
| Medium | 46.5 (2,258) | 62.3 (7,336) |
| Minimum | 16.9 (820) | 16.0 (1,882) |
| Undetermined | 28.4 (1,378) | 8.2 (961) |
| Notes: 1 Warrant of Committals 60.3%, revocations 38.7%, other 1.0%; 2 30% of the 2020-21 men admissions are reflected in the 2020-21 year-end custody snapshot. | ||
What it means
The general finding is that the federal men admission population differs from a year-end in-custody snapshot in being comparatively younger, serving shorter sentences, and less often for murder or classified maximum security. The relatively high percentage of Indigenous men admissions and in-custody populations requires strategic planning to ensure the delivery of appropriate and effective programming for safe reintegration.
For more information
For questions and/or more information, please email the Research Branch.
You can also visit the Research Publications section for a full list of reports and one-page summaries.
Prepared by: Larry Motiuk and Mike Hayden
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