Let's Talk

Responding to a More Diverse Offender Population

To get a look at the big picture, Let’s Talk writers consulted with Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) researchers who analyze criminal justice statistics and monitor changes in the composition of the federal offender population.

Since the mid-90s falling rates of violent crime, declining new admissions and successful reintegration efforts have resulted in a general decline in the Canadian federal offender population. Albeit there are regional variations that need to be considered, correctional challenges remain as the federal population of women in custody has increased and Aboriginal people remain disproportionately represented in the federal offender population.

To raise our awareness about the changing composition of the federal offender population, Dr. Larry Motiuk, Director General of Research, and his staff have been producing timely and comprehensive profiles of selected characteristics such as substance abuse, gang affiliation and mental health. As a result, CSC now has more information on how the institutional and community supervision populations are changing. So far, the researchers are telling us we are facing some unprecedented challenges in managing a more diverse federal offender population.♦