Research Brief

Female Young Offenders in Canada: Recent Trends

N^o. B-18

Colleen Anne Dell & Roger Boe

Research Branch
Correctional Service Canada

September, 1997

 

SUMMARY

The focus of this report is a summary and presentation of recent trends involving female young offenders in Canada. The report was written in response to a special request, and supplements a presentation for the Heads of Corrections.

The data used to compile this report is derived from three sources. The Uniform Crime Report Survey, the Youth Court Survey and the Corrections Key Indicator Report, all published by the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics. Where available, the analyses in this report examine female young offender trends over the past 5 years. The analyses were directed toward seven questions:

1. Has there been an increase in female youth charged by the police, 1992 - 1996?

• At the national level, no.
• At the regional level, both the Quebec and Prairie regions remained constant, the Pacific and Ontario regions declined slightly, and the Atlantic region increased.
• By offense category, there was a decrease in property crimes and a slight increase in drug, violent and other offences.

2. Has there been an increase in female youth processed through the youth court system, 1991/92 - 1994/95?

• At the national level, there has been a slight decrease.
• At the regional level, most regions remained constant except the Atlantic which increased slightly and the Pacific which decreased slightly.
• By offense category, there has been a decrease in property crimes and a slight increase in violent crimes.

3. Are female youth getting involved with crime at a younger age?

• At the national level, no.
• A mean age of 15 has remained the same from 1991/92 to 1994/95.

4. Are female youth getting more violent?

Uniform Crime Report Survey

• Since 1993, the national rate of violent crime among female youth has remained constant at 44 per 10,000.
• Since 1993, the Pacific and Prairie regions had an increase in the rate of female youth charged for violent crime and the Ontario, Quebec and Atlantic regions remained constant.
• By offense, homicide, attempted murder and abduction remained relatively stable at a low rate. From 1993 to 1996 there was a steady decrease of sexual assault and other sexual offenses. And, both robbery and non-sexual assault increased notably, specifically robbery in 1995 and 1996.

Youth Court Survey

• At the national level, there was an increase from 1991/92 to 1993/94 in the number of youth being processed through court, followed by a slight decrease in 1994/95.
• Focusing on specific offenses over the four year period, there was relative stability for homicide, attempted murder, abduction and sexual assault and other sexual offenses; an increase in non-sexual assault and weapon; and a slight decrease in robbery.

5. Has there been an increase in the frequency of female youth remanded into custody pending disposition of a charge?

• The number of female youth remanded into custody pending disposition of a charge was examined, however, conclusions are only tentative.
• British Columbia had an increase of remands into custody from 20 in 1992/93 to 40 in 1995/96.
• Manitoba had an increase of remands into custody from 34 in 1992/93 to 37 in 1995/96.

6. Are female youth getting more serious dispositions?

• At the national level, there was a slight increase in secure custody and open custody. Probation, fines and community service remained relatively stable with a marked increase in 1994/95 for probation and a decrease for fine and community service order. Absolute discharge decreased from 1991/92 to 1994/95.
• At the regional level the most notable findings are: a decrease in fine and community service orders in the Atlantic region; an increase in probation in the Quebec region, an increase in secure custody in Ontario and a marked increase in probation and decrease in fine and community service order in 1993/94, and relative stability in the Prairie and Pacific region and an increase in open custody in the Pacific region.

7. Has there been an increase in the number of female youth transferred to adult court?

• There were very few females transferred to adult court. In fact, a total of 11 female youth cases were transferred between the years of 1991/92 and 1994/95.

NOTE

• The data used to compile this report does not measure the actual number of female youth charged with a crime, processed through the youth court system or remanded into custody, but rather, the unit of analysis is cases (Youth Court Survey), incidents (Uniform Crime Report Survey) or counts (Corrections Key Indicator Report). An explanation and definition of the data sources are presented in Appendix A to Appendix F respectively. For further clarification, please refer to the original source.

• The Youth Court Survey and Corrections Key Indicator Report data are presented for fiscal years. The Uniform Crime Report Survey data are presented for calendar years. Caution must therefore me made in comparison of the data sources. As well, the Postcensal and updated Postcensal population estimates (Statistics Canada) are for July 1 of the indicted years.

• The data sources and population estimates used in this report may not be the most recent revision of the data. Data are revised by the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics the year following the original release. The changes, however, are small and do not effect the findings of this report. For example, property crime rate comparisons are as follows: 1992 (17,051 / 17,038), 1993 (15,749 / 15,759), 1994 (14,261 / 14,251), 1995 (15,193 / 15,149).

 

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Summary

Note

Research Questions

Question 1: Has there been an increase in female youth charged by the  police, 1992 -1996?

Question 2: Has there been an increase in female youth processed through the youth court system, 1991/92 - 1994/95?

Question 3: Are female youth getting involved with crime at a younger age?

Question 4: Are female youth getting more violent?

Question 5: Has there been an increase in the frequency of female youth remanded into custody pending disposition of a charge?

Question 6: Are female youth getting more serious dispositions?

Question 7: Has there been an increase in the number of female youth transferred to adult court?

Tables

1.1 Female Youth Charged by Police, Canada

1.2 Total Female Youth (Aged 12 - 17 Years) Population, Canada

1.3 Female Youth Charged by Police, Regions

1.4 Total Female Youth (Aged 12 - 17 Years) Population, Regions

2.1 Female Youth Processed Through the Youth Court System, Canada

2.2 Total Female Youth (Aged 12 - 17 Years) Population, Canada

2.3 Female Youth Processed Through the Youth Court System, Regions.

2.4 Total Female Youth (Aged 12 - 17 Years) Population, Regions

3.1 Female Youth Processed Through Youth Court, by Principle Charge, by Age, Canada

3.2 Total Female Youth, by Age, (12 - 17 Years) Population, Canada

3.3 Female Youth Processed Through Youth Court, by Principle Charge, by Age, Regions

4.1 Female Youth Charged by Police for a Violent Offense, Canada

4.2 Total Female Youth (Aged 12 - 17 Years) Population, Canada

4.3 Female Youth Charged by Police for a Violent Offense, Regions.

4.4 Total Female Youth (Aged 12 - 17 Years) Population, Canada

4.5 Female Youth Processed Through the Youth Court System for a Violent Offense, Canada

4.6 Total Female Youth (Aged 12 - 17 Years) Population, Canada

5.1 Female Youth Remanded into Custody Per Month, Select Provinces

5.2 Female Youth (Aged 12 - 17 Years) Population, Select Provinces

6.1 Female Youth Disposition, Canada

6.2 Percentage of Female Youth Disposition Per Total Female Youth Dispositions, Canada

6.3 Female Youth Disposition, Regions

7.1 Female Youth Transferred to Adult Court, Regions and Canada

Charts

1.1 A Total Female Youth Charged by Police, Canada

1.1 B Female Youth Charged by Police Per 10,000 Female Youth Population, Canada

1.1 C Female Youth Charged by Police by Offense Category Per 10,000 Female Youth Population, Canada

1.3 A Female Youth Charged by Police Per 10,000 Female Youth Population, Regions

2.1 A Female Youth Processed Through the Youth Court System Per 10,000 Female Youth Population, Canada

2.1 B Female Youth Processed Through the Youth Court System by Offense Per 10,000 Female Youth Population, Canada

2.3 A Female Youth Processed Through the Youth Court System Per 10,000 Female Youth Population, Region

3.1 A Female Youth Processed Through Youth Court, by Age, Canada

3.1 B Female Youth Processed Through Youth Court, Per 10,000 Female Youth Population, by Age, Canada

3.3 A Female Youth Processed Through Youth Court, by Principle Charge, Age, Atlantic Region

3.3 B Female Youth Processed Through Youth Court, by Principle Charge, Age, Quebec Region

3.3 C Female Youth Processed Through Youth Court, by Principle Charge, Age, Ontario Region

3.3 D Female Youth Processed Through Youth Court, by Principle Charge, Age, Prairie Region

3.3 E Female Youth Processed Through Youth Court, by Principle Charge, Age, Pacific Region

4.1 A Total Female Youth Charged for a Violent Offense by Police Per 10,000 Female Youth Population, Canada

4.1 B Female Youth Charged for a Violent Offense by Police Per 10,000 Female Youth Population, Canada

4.4 A Female Youth Charged for a Violent Offense by Police Per 10,000 Female Youth Population, Regions

4.5 A Female Youth Processed Through the Youth Court System For a Violent Offense Per 10,000 Female Youth Population, Canada

4.5 B Female Youth Processed Through the Youth Court System For a Violent Offense Per 10,000 Female Youth Population, Canada

5.1 A Female Youth Remanded into Custody Per Month, Per 10,000 Female Youth Population, Select Provinces

6.2 A Percentage of Female Youth Dispositions Per Total Female Youth Dispositions, Canada

6.3 A Percentage of Female Youth Dispositions Per Total Female Youth Dispositions, Atlantic Region

6.3 B Percentage of Female Youth Dispositions Per Total Female Youth Dispositions, Quebec Region

6.3 C Percentage of Female Youth Dispositions Per Total Female Youth Dispositions, Ontario Region

6.3 D Percentage of Female Youth Dispositions Per Total Female Youth Dispositions, Prairie Region

6.3 E Percentage of Female Youth Dispositions Per Total Female Youth Dispositions, Pacific Region

 

Appendix

A: Data Sources

B: Data Presentation

C: Report: Serious Violent Offenses and Offenders in Youth Court. Naomi Lee and Tim Leonard, December 1995

D: Report: Serious Violent Offenses and Offenders in Youth Court. Naomi Lee and Tim Leonard, December 1995 & Report: A Profile  of the Juvenile Justice System in Canada. Sharon Moyer, November 1996

E: Report: Serious Violent Offenses and Offenders in Youth Court.   Naomi Lee and Tim Leonard, December 1995

F: Data Source Explanations

 

RESEARCH QUESTIONS

QUESTION 1:

HAS THERE BEEN AN INCREASE IN FEMALE YOUTH CHARGED BY THE POLICE?

QUESTION 2:

HAS THERE BEEN AN INCREASE IN FEMALE YOUTH PROCESSED THROUGH THE YOUTH COURT SYSTEM?

QUESTION 3:

ARE FEMALE YOUTH GETTING INVOLVED WITH CRIME AT A YOUNGER AGE?

QUESTION 4:

ARE FEMALE YOUTH GETTING MORE VIOLENT?

QUESTION 5:

HAS THERE BEEN AN INCREASE IN THE FREQUENCY OF FEMALE YOUTH REMANDED INTO CUSTODY PENDING DISPOSITION OF A CHARGE?

QUESTION 6:

ARE FEMALE YOUTH GETTING MORE SERIOUS DISPOSITIONS?

QUESTION 7:

HAS THERE BEEN AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF FEMALE YOUTH TRANSFERRED TO ADULT COURT?

* Refer to Appendix A for definitions of data sources

** Refer to Appendix B for format of data presentation

 

QUESTION 1:

HAS THERE BEEN AN INCREASE IN FEMALE YOUTH CHARGED BY THE POLICE, 1992 - 1996?

Canada

• Overall there was no notable increase. The rate remained quite stable. This is true both for female youth charged by police and the rate of female youth charged per 10,000 female youth population.

• By offense, one trend was a decrease in property crimes from 1992 to 1994, followed by a slight increase in 1995 and then a decrease in 1996 to the previous level.

Regions

• A fluctuation occurred in 1994 where there was a general decrease in all regions, except the Atlantic which increased.

• Overall, the rate remained quite steady for the Prairie region.

• From 1992 - 1996, in the Ontario region there was a trend decrease, with an increase in 1995 followed by a slight decrease in 1996.

• In the Atlantic region there was a trend increase from 1992 - 1996.

• In the Pacific region there was a trend decrease from 1992 - 1996.

• The Quebec region remained relatively stable.

• The Prairie region had the highest rate per 10,000 female youth population, followed by the Pacific, Ontario, Atlantic and Quebec regions.

 

Table 1.1 Female Youth Charged by Police*, Canada

	1992		1993		1994		1995		1996
OFFENSE	Actual Number	Rate per** 10,000	Actual Number	Rate per** 10,000	Actual Number	Rate per** 10,000	Actual Number	Rate per** 10,000	Actual Number	Rate per** 10,000
Crimes of Violence	4,291	38.1	5,096	44.7	4,903	42.6	5,125	44.0	5,191	44
Property Crimes	17,051	151.4	15,759	138.2	14,261	124.0	15,193	130.6	14,593	123.8
Drugs ***	448	4.0	467	4.1	621	5.4	582	5.0	650	5.5
Other ****	6,199	55.0	6,101	53.5	5,739	49.9	6,484	55.7	7,135	60.5
TOTAL	27,989	248.5	27,423	240.4	25,524	221.9	27,384	235.4	27,569	233.8

* Source: Uniform Crime Report

** Rate per 10,000 total female youth (aged 12-17 years) population

*** Drugs = Narcotics Control Act & Food and Drugs Act

**** Other = Other Federal Statutes & Other Crime

 

Table 1.2 Total Female Youth (Aged 12-17 Years) Population*, Canada

TOTAL FEMALE YOUTH POPULATION	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996
	1,126,400	1,140,600	1,150,300	1,163,500	1,179,063

* Source: Statistics Canada, Census and Household Statistics Branch, Demography Division.

 

CHART 1.1A Total Female Youth Charged by Police, Canada

 

CHART 1.1B Female Youth Charged by Police Per 10,000 Female Youth Population, Canada

 

CHART 1.1C Female Youth Charged by Police by Offense Category Per 10,000 Female Youth Population, Canada

 

Table 1.3 Female Youth Charged by Police*, Region

	1992		1993		1994		1995		1996
OFFENSE	Actual Number	Rate Per** 10,000	Actual Number	Rate Per 10,000	Actual Number	Rate Per 10,000	Actual Number	Rate Per 10,000	Actual Number	Rate Per 10,000
ATLANTIC
Crimes of Violence	286	27.4	373	36.1	394	38.6	365	36.1	344	34.2
Property Crimes	1,055	101.2	1,070	103.7	1,120	109.8	1,036	102.5	1,019	101.3
Drugs ***	11	1.1	7	0.68	14	1.4	28	2.8	38	3.8
Other ****	389	37.3	390	37.8	398	39	421	41.6	582	57.8
TOTAL	1,741	167	1,840	178.3	1,926	188.8	1,850	183	1,983	197.1
QUEBEC
Crimes of Violence	353	12.4	352	12.2	359	12.4	351	12.2	397	13.8
Property Crime	1,732	60.6	1,589	55	1,220	42	1,366	47.3	1,412	49.2
Drugs	62	2.2	117	4	152	5.2	124	4.3	154	5.4
Other	293	10.3	228	7.9	186	6.4	249	8.6	265	9.2
TOTAL	2,440	85.4	2,286	79.1	1,917	66	2,090	72.4	2,228	77.6
ONTARIO
Crimes of Violence	1,890	47	2,093	51.5	1,977	48.2	2,036	48.7	2,012	47.2
Property Crimes	6,784	168.8	6,027	148.2	5,243	127.9	5,543	132.6	5,449	127.7
Drugs	174	4.3	155	3.8	233	5.7	207	5	241	5.6
Other	2,853	71	2,743	67.5	2,682	65.4	3,053	73	2,957	69.3
TOTAL	11,701	291.1	11,018	271	10,135	247.2	10,839	259.3	10,659	249.8
PRAIRIE
Crimes of Violence	1,220	59.9	1,546	75	1,456	69.8	1,570	74	1,594	73.5
Property Crimes	4,626	227	4,330	210.1	4,053	194.3	4,582	215.8	4,299	198.4
Drugs	75	3.7	94	4.6	99	4.7	105	4.9	125	5.8
Other	2,167	106.3	2,211	107.3	1,948	93.9	2,119	99.8	2,662	122.8
TOTAL	8,088	96.9	8,181	397	7,556	362.2	8,376	394.5	8,680	400.5
PACIFIC
Crimes of Violence	542	41.5	732	54.2	717	51.6	803	56	844	57
Property Crimes	2,854	218.4	2,743	203	2,625	188.8	2,666	185.9	2,414	163.1
Drugs	126	9.6	94	7	123	8.8	118	8.2	92	6.2
Other	497	38	529	39.1	525	37.8	642	44.8	669	45.2
TOTAL	4,019	7.5	4,098	303.3	3,990	287.1	4,229	294.9	4,019	271.5
TOTAL	27,989	248.5	27,423	240.4	25,524	221.9	27,384	235.4	27,569	233.8

* Source: Uniform Crime Report

** Rate per 10,000 total female (aged 12 - 17 years) population

*** Drugs = Narcotics Control Act & Food and Drugs Act

**** Other = Other Federal Statutes & Other Crime

***** Figures may not add to totals due to rounding

 

Table 1.4 Total Female Youth (Aged 12 - 17 Years) Population*, Regions

TOTAL FEMALE YOUTH POPULATION	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996
Atlantic	104,300	103,200	102,000	101,100	100,610
Quebec	285,600	289,100	290,400	288,900	286,969
Ontario	401,900	406,600	409,900	418,000	426,709
Prairie	203,800	206,100	208,600	212,300	216,729
Pacific	130,700	135,100	139,000	143,400	148,046

* Source: Statistics Canada, Census and Household Statistics Division, Demography Division

 

CHART 1.3A Female Youth Charged by Police Per 10,000 Female

Youth Population, Regions

QUESTION 2:

HAS THERE BEEN AN INCREASE IN FEMALE YOUTH PROCESSED THROUGH THE YOUTH COURT SYSTEM, 1991/92 - 1994/95?

Canada

• Overall there has been a slight decrease. There was an increase in 1993/94, however, it was followed by a decrease.

• By offense, an apparent trend again was a decrease in property crimes from 1991/92 to 1994/95.

• As well, there was a slight increase in violent crimes from 1991/92 to 1993/94, followed by a minor decrease in 1994/95.

Regions

• There is no notable increase. The rate remained quite stable for most regions. Minor exceptions are the Atlantic region in which the rate slightly increased from 1992/93 - 1994/95 and the Pacific region in which it slightly decreased from 1992/93 - 1994/95.

• The Prairie region had the highest rate per 10,000 female youth population, followed by the Ontario, Pacific, Ontario, Atlantic and Quebec regions.

 

Table 2.1 Female Youth Processed Through the Youth Court System*,

Canada

	1991/ 1992		1992/ 1993		1993/ 1994		1994/ 1995
OFFENSE	Actual Number	Rate Per** 10,000	Actual Number	Rate Per 10,000	Actual Number	Rate Per 10,000	Actual Number	Rate Per 10,000
Crimes of Violence	3,436	32.2	3,830	34	4,551	39.9	4,327	37.6
Property Crimes	10,832	101	10,356	92	10,124	88.8	8,710	75.7
Drugs ***	327	3	342	3	394	3.5	513	4.5
Other ****	3,976	37	4,092	36	4,333	38	4,111	35.7
Young Offenders Act	2,023	18.9	2,156	19.1	2,490	21.8	2,497	21.7
TOTAL	20,594	192.8	20,776	184.4	21,892	191.9	20,158	175.2

* Source: Youth Court Statistics

** Rate per 10,000 total female youth (aged 12-17 years) population

*** Drugs = Narcotics Control Act & Food and Drugs Act

**** Other = Other Federal Statutes & Other Crimes

 

Table 2.2 Total Female Youth (Aged 12-17 Years) Population, Canada

TOTAL FEMALE YOUTH POPULATION	1991	1992	1993	1994
	1,068,300	1,126,400	1,140,600	1,150,300

* Source: Statistics Canada, Census and Household Statistics Branch, Demography Division

 

CHART 2.1A Female Youth Processed Through the Youth Court System

Per 10,000 Female Youth Population, Canada

 

CHART 2.1B Female Youth Processed Through the Youth Court System

by Offense Per 10,000 Female Youth Population, Canada

Table 2.3 Female Youth Processed Through the Youth Court System*,

Regions

	1992/ 1993		1993/ 1994		1994/ 1995
	Actual Number	Rate Per** 10,000	Actual Number	Rate Per 10,000	Actual Number	Rate Per 10,000
ATLANTIC
Crimes of Violence	254	24.4	306	29.7	348	34.1
Property Crimes	617	59.1	624	60.5	634	62.2
Drugs ***	8	0.8	6	0.6	17	1.7
Other ****	179	17.2	160	15.5	188	18.4
Young Offenders Act	121	11.6	129	12.5	150	14.7
Atlantic - Total	1,179	113	1,225	118.7	1,337	131.1
QUEBEC
Crimes of Violence	213	7.5	188	6.5	215	7.4
Property Crimes	256	9	215	7.4	242	8.3
Drugs	27	0.9	53	1.8	103	3.5
Other	84	2.9	100	3.5	76	2.6
Young Offenders Act	42	1.5	44	1.5	49	1.7
Quebec - Total	622	21.8	630	21.8	685	23. 6
ONTARIO
Crimes of Violence	1,914	47.6	2,245	55.2	2,078	50.7
Property Crimes	4,939	122.9	4,953	121.8	3,987	97.3
Drugs	157	3.9	184	4.5	226	5.5
Other	1,933	48.1	2,102	51.7	1,855	45.3
Young Offenders Act	729	18.1	889	21.9	869	21.2
ONTARIO - Total	9,672	240.7	10,373	255.1	9,015	219.9
PRAIRIE
Crimes of Violence	1,168	57.3	1,469	71.3	1,393	66.8
Property Crimes	3,342	164	3,309	160.6	2,880	138.1
Drugs	78	3.8	86	4.2	101	4.8
Other	1,568	77	1,651	80.1	1,652	79.2
Young Offenders Act	921	45.2	1,061	51.5	1,069	51.2
Prairie - Total	7,077	347.3	7,576	367.6	7,095	340.1
PACIFIC
Crimes of Violence	398	30.5	480	35.5	450	32.4
Property Crimes	1,242	95	1,047	77.5	977	70.3
Drugs	76	5.8	75	5.6	73	5.3
Other	216	16.6	178	13.2	229	16.5
Young Offenders Act	293	22.4	308	22.8	297	21.4
Pacific - Total	2,225	170.2	2,088	154.6	2,026	145.8
TOTAL	20,776	184.4	21,892	191.9	20,158	175.2

* Source: Youth Court Statistics

** Rate per 10,000 total female youth (aged 12 - 17 years) population

*** Drugs = Narcotics Control Act & Food and Drugs Act

**** Other = Other Federal Statutes & Other Crime

***** 1991 YCS not included because the Youth Court Statistics Report does not differentiate between females and males with this data. However, the data may be made available from the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics.

 

Table 2.4 Total Female Youth (Aged 12 - 17 Years) Population, Regions

TOTAL FEMALE YOUTH POPULATION	1992	1993	1994
Atlantic	104,300	103,200	102,000
Quebec	285,600	289,100	290,400
Ontario	401,900	406,600	409,900
Prairie	203,800	206,100	208,600
Pacific	130,700	135,100	139,000

Source: Statistics Canada, Census and Household Statistics Branch, Demography Division

 

CHART 2.3A Female Youth Processed Through the Youth Court System

Per 10,000 Female Youth Population, Regions

 

QUESTION 3:

ARE FEMALE YOUTH GETTING INVOLVED WITH CRIME AT A YOUNGER AGE?

Canada

• Overall it appears that females are not getting involved with crime at a younger age. This is true both for female youth charged by police and the rate of female youth charged by police per 10,000 female youth population.
• A mean age of 15 remained the same from 1991/92 to 1994/95.
• One anomaly is noted in 1993/94 in which the rate per 10,000 female youth population increased at the age of 13, nevertheless, the mean remained to be 15 years of age.

Regions

• Examining total rates of female youth processed through youth court, by principle charge and age, the following is characteristic of each region:

Quebec Region: Steady trend with the higher the age the greater the number of female youth processed through the youth court system.

Ontario Region: Adhered to the mean of 15 years of age.

Prairie Region: Adhered to the mean of 15 years of age for 1991/92, 1992/93 and 1994/95. However, for 1993/94 the greatest number of females processed were 16 years of age.

Pacific Region: Adhered to the mean of 15 years of age except in 1992/93, in which the greatest number of female youth processed were 14, followed closely by 15 year olds. Additionally, in 1994/95 there was a marked decrease in the number of 15 to 16 year old female youth processed through youth court.

* See Appendix C for additional research findings

 

Table 3.1 Female Youth Processed Through Youth Court*, by Principle Charge**, by Age***, Canada

OFFENSE	<12	12	13	14	15	16	>17	>17	Unknown
1991/ 1992
Crimes of Violence	2	129	361	716	845	764	629	9	92
Property Crimes	4	458	1,170	2,155	2,574	2,401	1,943	14	135
Other Crimes ****	1	82	292	606	848	930	918	117	47
Drugs *****	-	2	4	27	58	105	123	6	7
Young Offenders Act	-	24	167	412	560	396	323	72	21
Other Federal Statutes	-	-	2	3	6	11	21	-	2
1991/ 1992 TOTAL	7	695	1,996	3,919	4,891	4,607	3,957	218	304
Per 10,000 Female Youth ****		38.8	113.1	218.3	273.7	256.1	226.4
1992/ 1993
Crimes of Violence	-	141	408	808	907	864	719	9	91
Property Crimes	4	447	1,138	2,078	2,405	2,251	1,935	12	126
Other Crimes	-	80	272	649	883	896	951	96	52
Drugs	-	3	14	39	58	97	129	2	4
Young Offenders Act	-	17	184	408	616	451	340	67	23
Other Federal Statutes	-	2	3	21	22	21	32	-	-
1992/ 1993 TOTAL	4	690	2,019	4,003	4,891	4,580	4,106	186	296
Per 10,000 Female		36.3	108.4	217.1	262.3	242.5	215.8
1993/ 1994
Crimes of Violence	4	232	598	921	1,083	961	782	14	93
Property Crimes	5	496	1,183	1,950	2,343	2,203	1,833	27	138
Other Crimes	2	85	306	729	927	935	969	87	73
Drugs	-	2	10	51	69	129	139	3	1
Young Offenders Act	-	20	189	498	641	574	399	83	27
Other Federal Statutes	-	1	4	11	19	21	19	2	1
1993/ 1994 TOTAL	11	836	2,290	4,160	5,082	4,823	4,141	216	333
Per 10,000 Female Youth		43.4	199.5	220.7	272.2	255.2	216.2
1994/ 1995
Crimes of Violence	1	222	531	956	1,026	889	750	5	104
Property Crimes	-	390	1,026	1,812	1,978	1,863	1,505	21	125
Other Crimes	1	66	342	707	907	933	862	89	78
Drugs	-	7	23	62	92	155	175	4	2
Young Offenders Act	-	28	198	519	687	524	382	67	29
Other Federal Statutes	-	-	--	2	2	4	7	-	-
1994/ 1995 TOTAL	2	713	2,120	4,058	4,692	4,368	3,681	186	338
Per 10,000 Female Youth		36.9	108.8	209.8	246.8	232.2	193.1
TOTAL	24	2,934	8,425	16,140	19,556	18,378	15,885	806	1,271

* Source: Youth Court Survey

** By Principle Charge: The principle charge is the most serious charge for a person or case upon entering the youth court process. Where a young person or a case has only one charge, it is defined as the principle charge. Where more than one charge is linked to a person or a case, three criteria are used to select the principle charge: (1) the nature of the offense, (2) the decision of the court, and (3) the disposition of the charge. Violent charges are given first priority in the selection process, followed by drug and narcotic offenses, property offenses, other Criminal Code offenses, offenses under the Young Offenders Act, and other federal statute offenses.

*** Age at the time the most significant charge was committed

**** Other = Other Federal Statutes & Other Crime

***** Drugs = Narcotics Control Act & Food and Drugs Act

****** Rate per 10,000 total female youth (aged 12 - 17 years) population

******* - is nil or zero

 

Table 3.2 Total Female Youth, by Age (12 - 17 Years) Population, Canada

Youth Population	12	13	14	15	16	17
1991	178,900	176,500	179,500	178,700	179,900	174,800
1992	190,000	186,300	184,400	186,500	188,900	190,300
1993	193,200	191,700	188,500	186,700	189,000	191,500
1994	193,300	194,800	193,400	190,100	188,100	190,600

* Source: Statistics Canada, Census and Household Statistics Branch, Demography Division

 

CHART 3.1A Female Youth Processed Through Youth Court, by

Age, Canada

 

CHART 3.1B Female Youth Processed Through Youth Court, Per

10,000 Female Youth Population, by Age, Canada

	1991	1992	1993	1994
MEAN AGE	15.12	15.13	15.08	15.06

 

Table 3.3 Female Youth Processed Through Youth Court*, by

Principle Charge**, by Age***, Regions

OFFENSE	<12	12	13	14	15	16	17	>17	Unknown
ATLANTIC
1991/ 1992	3	37	112	262	258	304	314	4	2
1992/ 1993	-	37	117	166	269	277	300	3	10
1993/ 1994	-	39	136	194	277	279	285	7	8
1994/ 1995	-	33	148	245	343	311	249	1	7
QUEBEC
1991/ 1992	-	10	28	70	98	138	143	6	-
1992/ 1993	-	8	48	87	134	144	193	5	3
1993/ 1994	1	15	38	104	144	153	166	9	-
1994/ 1995	-	13	59	110	157	159	184	2	1
ONTARIO
1991/ 1992	1	303	811	1,818	2,468	2,167	1,734	61	289
1992/ 1993	3	277	863	1,884	2,336	2,162	1,826	47	274
1993/ 1994	6	401	979	2,085	2,475	2,186	1,863	73	305
1994/ 1995	-	337	869	1,815	2,098	1,942	1,565	76	313
PRAIRIE
1991/ 1992	3	291	809	1,332	1,556	1,545	1,365	132	13
1992/ 1993	1	301	747	1,348	1,644	1,531	1,379	117	9
1993/ 1994	4	321	895	1,317	1,664	1,750	1,492	113	20
1994/ 1995	2	279	774	1,447	1,577	1,569	1,344	87	17
PACIFIC
1991/ 1992	-	55	235	436	513	452	401	15	-
1992/ 1993	-	67	245	517	505	468	407	16	0
1993/ 1994	-	56	241	455	503	471	345	17	-
1994/ 1995	1	51	270	442	512	391	359	20	0

* Source: Youth Court Survey

** By Principle Charge: The principle charge is the most serious charge for a person or case upon entering the youth court process. Where a young person or a case has only one charge, it is defined as the principle charge. Where more than one charge is linked to a person or a case, three criteria are used to select the principle charge: (1) the nature of the offense, (2) the decision of the court, and (3) the disposition of the charge. Violent charges are given first priority in the selection process, followed by drug and narcotic offenses, property offenses, other Criminal Code offenses, offenses under the Young Offenders Act, and other federal statute offenses.

*** Age at the time the most significant charge was committed

**** Noting the similarity between the actual rate & the per 10,000 female youth population rate (refer to prior table), only the actual rate is referred to for the regions

***** - is nil or zero

 

CHART 3.3A Female Youth Processed Through Youth Court, by

Principle Charge, by Age, Atlantic Region

 

CHART 3.3B Female Youth Processed Through Youth Court, by

Principle Charge, by Age, Quebec Region

 

CHART 3.3C Female Youth Processed Through Youth Court, by Principle

Charge, by Age, Ontario Region

 

CHART 3.3D Female Youth Processed Through Youth Court,

by Principle Charge, by Age, Prairie Region

 

CHART 3.3E Female Youth Processed Through Youth Court, by

Principle Charge, by Age, Pacific Region

 

QUESTION 4:

ARE FEMALE YOUTH GETTING MORE VIOLENT?

Canada

Uniform Crime Report:

• Overall, there was no notable trend increase. However, from 1994 to 1996, there was a steady increase with a return to the 1993 level. Since 1993, the national rate of violent crime among female youth has remained constant at 44 per 10,000.
• By offense, there was a steady rate of homicide from 1992 - 1994 with a slight increase in 1995. There was also a steady rate of attempted murder and abduction, with a slight decrease in 1995.
• There was a steady decrease in sexual assault and other sexual offenses from 1993 to 1996.
• There was a marked increase in robbery in 1995 and again in 1996 in comparison to the prior three years.
• There was a slight yet steady increase in non-sexual assault from 1994 - 1996.
• The highest rate of charges for a violent offense occurred in the order of non-sexual assault, robbery, sexual assault and other sexual offenses, and attempted murder, homicide and abduction.

Youth Court Survey:

• There was a steady increase in the number of female youth processed through the youth court system for a violent offense per 10,000 female youth population from 1991/92 - 1993/94, followed by a slight decrease in 1994/95.
• There was relative stability in the four year period for the rate of homicide, attempted murder and abduction and sexual assault and other sexual offenses. Robbery dramatically dropped in 1992/93 followed by a return in 1993/94 and 1994/95 to the 1991/92 rate. Non-sexual assault and weapons slightly increased from 1991/92 - 1994/95, with an anomalous increase in 1993/94.

Regions

Uniform Crime Report

• Overall, there is no major trend of either an increase or decrease in females charged by police for violent offenses. Two exceptions: First, there was an increase in 1993 from the prior year for all regions except Quebec, which remained stable throughout. Second, the Pacific region is the only region which appeared to markedly increase through the 5 year period. Ontario also decreased slightly in the same period.
• The Prairie region had the highest rate per 10,000 female youth population, followed by the Pacific, Ontario, Atlantic and Quebec regions.

* See Appendix D for additional research findings

 

Table 4.1 Female Youth Charged by Police* for a Violent Offense, Canada

	1992		1993		1994		1995		1996
OFFENSE	Actual Number	Rate per** 10,000	Actual Number	Rate per 10,000	Actual Number	Rate per 10,000	Actual Number	Rate per 10,000	Actual Number	Rate per 10,000
Homicide	4	.04	3	.03	4	.03	12	.10	3	.03
Attempted Murder	12	.11	9	.08	9	.08	4	.03	6	.05
Sexual Assault & Other Sexual Offenses***	71	.63	111	1.0	88	.77	66	.57	58	.49
Non-Sexual Assault	3,818	33.9	4,550	39.9	4,389	38.2	4,521	38.9	4,541	38.5
****		3.4		4.0		3.8		3.9		3.9
Abduction	6	.05	5	.04	7	.06	5	.04	9	.08
Robbery	380	3.4	418	3.7	406	3.5	517	4.4	574	4.9
TOTAL	4,291	38.1	5,096	44.7	4,903	42.6	5,125	44.0	5,191	44.0

* Source: Uniform Crime Report

** Rate per 10,000 total female youth (aged 12 - 17 years) population

*** There may be a difference in the definition for 1996 in comparison to the prior year because 1996 does not include the category of Rape/Indecent Assault, however, it is anticipated to be negligible

**** To accommodate for charting, rate per 1,000 total female youth (aged 12 - 17 years) population

 

Table 4.2 Total Female Youth (Aged 12 - 17 Years) Population*, Canada

TOTAL FEMALE YOUTH POPULATION	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996
	1,126,400	1,140,600	1,150,300	1,163,500	1,179,063

* Source: Statistics Canada, Census and Household Statistics Branch, Demography Division

 

CHART 4.1A Total Female Youth Charged for a Violent Offense by

Police Per 10,000 Female Youth Population, Canada

 

CHART 4.1B Female Youth Charged for a Violent Offense by Police Per

10,000 Female Youth Population, Canada

 

Table 4.3 Female Youth Charged by Police* for a Violent Offense, Regions

	1992		1993		1994		1995		1996
OFFENSE	Actual Number	Rate per** 10,000	Actual Number	Rate per 10,000	Actual Number	Rate per 10,000	Actual Number	Rate per 10,000	Actual Number	Rate Per 10,000
ATLANTIC
Homicide	-	-	-	-	-	-	2	0.2	-	-
Attempted Murder	-	-	-	-	1	0.1	-	-	-	-
Sexual Assault & Other Sexual Offenses	9	. 86	23	2.2	13	1.3	10	1	3	0.3
Non-Sexual Assault	267	25.6	345	33.4	370	36.3	345	34.1	332	33
Abduction	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
Robbery	10	0.96	5	4.8	10	0.98	8	0.79	9	0.9
TOTAL	286	27.4	373	36.1	394	38.6	365	36.1	344	34.2
QUEBEC
Homicide	-	-	-	-		-	-	-	-
Attempted Murder	3	0.11	4	0.14	1	0.03	2	0.07	-	-
Sexual Assault & Other Sexual Offenses	2	0.07	5	0.17	3	0.1	1	0.03	2	0.07
Non-Sexual Assault	310	10.9	293	10.1	313	10.8	316	10.9	344	12
Abduction	-	-	2	0.07	-	-	-	-	-
Robbery	38	1.3	48	1.7	42	1.4	31	1.1	51	1.8
TOTAL	353	12.4	352	12.2	359	12.4	350	12.1	397	13.8
ONTARIO
Homicide	2	0.05	1	0.02	2	0.05	4	0.1	-	-
Attempted Murder	6	0.15	3	0.07	3	0.07	1	0.02	1	0.02
Sexual Assault & Other Sexual Offenses	20	0.5	27	0.66	26	0.63	22	0.53	13	0.3
Non-Sexual Assault	1,686	42	1,913	47	1,835	44.8	1,899	45.4	1,852	43.4
Abduction	2	0.05	3	0.07	3	0.07	1	0.2	7	0.16
Robbery	174	4.3	146	3.6	108	2.6	113	2.7	139	3.3
TOTAL	1,890	47	2,093	51.5	1,977	48.2	2,040	48.8	2,102	47.2
PRAIRIE
Homicide	2	0.1	-	-	1	0.05	6	0.28	2	0.09
Attempted Murder	-	-	-	-	2	0.1	1	0.05	4	0.18
Sexual Assault & Other Sexual Offenses	26	1.3	42	2	37	1.7	23	1.1	29	1.3
Non-Sexual Assault	1,073	52.6	1,365	66.2	1,274	61	1,325	62.4	1,308	60.4
Abduction	1	0.05	-	-	1	0.05	3	0.14	2	0.09
Robbery	118	5.8	138	6.7	141	6.8	12	10.1	249	11.5
TOTAL	1,220	59.9	1,545	75	1,456	69.8	1,570	74	1,594	73.6
PACIFIC
Homicide	-	-	1	0.07	1	0.07	-	-	1	0.07
Attempted Murder	3	0.22	2	0.15	2	0.14	-	-	1	0.07
Sexual Assault & Other Sexual Offenses	14	1.1	14	1	9	0.64	35	2.4	10	0.68
Non-Sexual Assault	482	36.9	624	46.2	597	42.9	614	42.8	706	47.7
Abduction	3	0.23	-	--	3	0.22	1	0.07	-	-
Robbery	40	3.1	81	6	105	7.6	153	10.7	126	8.5
TOTAL	542	41.5	732	54.2	717	51.6	803	56	844	57
TOTAL	4,291	41.5	5,096	44.7	4,903	42.6	5,125	44	5,191	44

* Source: Uniform Crime Report

** Rate per 10,000 total female youth (aged 12 - 17 years) population

*** To accommodate for charting, rate per 1,000 total female youth (aged 12 - 17 years) population

**** - is nil or zero

 

Table 4.4 Total Female Youth (Aged 12 - 17 Years) Population*, Canada

TOTAL FEMALE YOUTH POPULATION	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996
Atlantic	104,300	103,200	102,000	101,100	100,610
Quebec	285,600	289,100	290,400	288,900	286,969
Ontario	401,900	406,600	409,900	418,000	426,709
Prairie	203,800	206,100	208,600	212,300	216,729
Pacific	130,700	135,100	139,000	143,400	148,046

* Source: Statistics Canada, Census and Household Statistics Division, Demography Division

 

CHART 4.4A Female Youth Charged for a Violent Offense by

Police Per 10,000 Female Youth Population, Regions

 

Table 4.5 Female Youth Processed Through the Youth Court

System* for a Violent Offense, Canada

	1991/ 1992		1992/ 1993		1993/ 1994		1994/ 1995
OFFENSE	Actual Number	Rate per** 10,000	Actual Number	Rate per 10,000	Actual Number	Rate per 10,000	Actual Number	Rate per 10,000
Homicide ***	11	0.1	5	0.04	4	0.04	4	0.03
Attempted Murder	8	0.07	11	0.1	5	0.04	7	0.06
Sexual Assault & Other Sexual Offenses	43	0.4	48	0.43	85	0.75	42	0.37
Non-Sexual Assault	3,045	28.6	3,485	31	4,142	36.3	3,947	34.3
****		2.9		3.1		3.7		3.4
Abduction	4	0.04	3	0.03	6	0.05	5	0.04
Robbery	288	2.7	243	2.2	286	2.5	288	2.5
Weapon	136	1.3	140	1.2	147	1.3	174	1.5
Other	12	0.11	12	0.11	13	0.11	17	0.15
TOTAL	3,547	33.2	3,947	35	4,688	41.1	4,484	39

* Source: Youth Court Survey

** Rate per 10,000 total female youth (aged 12 - 17 years) population

*** Offense categorizations are comprised of the following offenses:

Homicide: Murder, Manslaughter, Infanticide and Other Related; Attempted Murder: Attempted Murder; Sexual Assault and Other Sexual Offenses: Aggravated Sexual Assault, Sexual Assault/Weapon, Sexual Assault, Rasp/Indecent Assault; Non-Sexual Assault: Aggravated Assault, Assault With a Weapon, Cause Bodily Harm/Intent, Minor Assault, Unlawfully Cause Bodily harm, Assaulting Peace Officer; Abduction: Kidnapping/Hostage Taking; Robbery: Robbery; Weapon: Dangerous Use of a Weapon, Possession of a Weapon, Other Weapons Offenses; Other: Extortion, Criminal Negligence

Note: Due to possible difference in the definitions of violent crimes, based on the Uniform Crime Report Survey and the Youth Court Survey used in this report, the enclosed tables and charts should be compared on a general level.

**** To accommodate for charting, rate per 1,000 total female youth (aged 12 - 17 years) population

 

Table 4.6 Total Female Youth (Aged 12 - 17 Years) Population*, Canada

TOTAL FEMALE YOUTH POPULATION	1991	1992	1993	1994
	1,068,300	1,126,400	1,140,600	1,150,300

* Source: Statistics Canada, Census and Household Statistics Branch, Demography Division

 

CHART 4.5A Female Youth Processed Through the Youth Court

System For a Violent Offense Per 10,000 Female Youth

Population, Canada

 

CHART 4.5B Female Youth Processed Through the Youth Court System

For a Violent Offense Per 10,000 Female Youth Population, Canada

 

QUESTION 5:

HAS THERE BEEN AN INCREASE IN THE FREQUENCY OF FEMALE YOUTH REMANDED INTO CUSTODY PENDING DISPOSITION OF A CHARGE*?

• Due to data only from British Columbia and Manitoba, conclusions are tentative:
• British Columbia: There has been a steady increase from 1992/93 to 1995/96.
• Manitoba: There was a decrease from 1992/93 to 1994/95 ollowed by a marked increase in 1995/96.

Table 5.1 Female Youth Remanded into Custody* Per

Month**, Select Provinces***

	1992/ 1993		1993/ 1994		1994/ 1995		1995/ 1996
PROVINCE	Number	Rate Per 10,000	Number	Number	Rate Per 10,000	Number	Rate Per 10,000
Newfoundland	1	0.35	N/A	N/A	N/A	7	2.6
Prince Edward Island	1	1.8	-	1	1.7	-	-
Nova Scotia	10	2.7	N/A	N/A	N/A	5	1.3
Manitoba	34	7.4	27	26	5.6	37	8
British Columbia	20	1.5	26	29	2.1	40	2.8

* Source: Corrections Key Indicator Report for Adults and Young Offenders: Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics

** Average Month-End Admission: Data are an indication of the average month-end admission count to a facility. Averages are calculated by adding all month-end admission counts and dividing the total by the number of months for the corresponding period.

*** All available information is reported in the tables

**** - is nil or zero

 

Table 5.2 Female Youth (Aged 12-17 Years) Population, Select Provinces

TOTAL FEMALE YOUTH POPULATION	1992*	1993	1994	1995
Newfoundland	28,900	28,401	27,641	26,850
Prince Edward Island	5,700	5,801	5,906	5,930
Nova Scotia	37,200	37,342	37,133	37,337
Manitoba	46,100	46,204	46,069	46,270
British Columbia	129,500	133,845	137,803	142,051

* 1992 figures are rounded

 

CHART 5.1A Female Youth Remanded Into Custody Per Month,

Per 10,000 Female Youth Population, Select Provinces

 

QUESTION 6:

ARE FEMALE YOUTH GETTING MORE SERIOUS DISPOSITIONS*?

Canada

• For the most serious disposition, secure custody, there was a slight increase from 1991/92 to 1994/95. The second most serious disposition, open custody, (and so forth) also revealed a slight increase from 1991/92 to 1994/95. Probation revealed a very slight decrease from 1991/92 to 1993/94 followed by a marked increase in 1994/95 (substantially greater than the 1991/92 rate). Fine and Community Service Order slightly decreased from 1991/92 to 1993/94 followed by a marked decrease in 1994/95. Absolute discharge revealed a steady decrease from 1991/92 to 1994/95.

Regions

Examining percentage of female youth dispositions per total female youth disposition, the following appeared for each region:

• Atlantic Region: A steady decrease in fine and community service order. Relative stability for open custody, secure custody and absolute discharge noted by an increase in 1994/95. An increase in probation.
• Quebec Region: Increase in probation between 1991/92 and 1994/95. Relative stability for fine and community service order and secure custody, noting fluctuation between the years. Increase in open custody. Decrease in absolute discharge.
• Ontario Region: Dramatic increase in probation and dramatic decrease in fine and community service order in 1994/95. Slight and steady increase in open custody and steady increase in secure custody. Slight and steady decrease in absolute discharge.
• Prairie Region: Slight increase in probation, open custody and secure custody. Relative stability in fine and community service order from 1991/92 - 1994/95. Steady and slight decrease is absolute discharge.
• Pacific Region: Relative stability in probation and fine and community service order (except in 1993/94 for the latter where there was anomalous increase). Steady increase in open custody and secure custody. Stability over the 4 year period for absolute discharge.

Order of the greatest frequency of dispositions per region:

• Atlantic Region: Probation, Fine & CSO, Open Custody, Secure Custody, Absolute Discharge.
• Quebec Region: Probation, Fine & CSO, Open and Secure Custody, Absolute Discharge.
• Ontario Region: Probation, Fine & CSO (except in 1994 when it was the lowest possible frequency), Open Custody, Secure Custody, Absolute Discharge.
• Prairie Region: Probation, Fine & CSO, Open Custody, Secure Custody, Absolute Discharge.
• Pacific Region: Probation, Open Custody, Fine & CSO, Absolute Discharge, Secure Custody (latter two similar for 1994).

Table 6.1 Female Youth Disposition*, Canada

DISPOSITION**	1991/ 1992	1992/ 1993	1993/ 1994	1994/ 1995
Secure Custody	706	831	1,086	1,095
Detention for Treatment	1	-	-	-
Open Custody	1,468	1,565	1,896	1,795
Probation	5,547	5,809	5,886	6,952
Fine	868	828	838	686
Compensation	24	17	17	20
Pay Purchaser	4	6	7	5
Compensation (Kind)	4	-	-	-
Community Service Order	1,854	2,109	2,108	1,123
Restitution	16	12	17	7
Prob./ Seizure/ Forfeit	4	10	12	2
Absolute Discharge	921	835	767	668
Other	571	653	760	255
TOTAL	11,987	12,675	13,394	12,609

* Source: Youth Court Survey

** Disposition is the most serious disposition for a person or a case. The seriousness of the disposition is determined by the effect it has on the young person. The dispositions above are ordered from most to least serious. If the disposition with the highest priority is a fine, compensation on pay purchases, and there is a combination of these, the disposition with the largest dollar value is selected as the most significant. In the event that multiple charges result in multiple custody orders, the highest priority is assigned to the largest custody order. The same situation applies in the case of multiple probation orders.

***- is nil or zero

Table 6.2 Percentage of Female Youth Disposition Per Total Female

Youth Dispositions*, Canada

% OF DISPOSITION	1991/ 1992	1992/ 1993	1993/ 1994	1994/ 1995
Secure Custody	6	7	8	8
Open Custody	12	12	14	14
Probation	46	46	44	55
Fine & Community Service Order	23	23	22	14**
Absolute Discharge	8	7	6	5

* Source: Youth Court Survey

** Both community service order and fine contributed to the decrease

 

CHART 6.2A Percentage of Female Youth Dispositions Per Total

Female Youth Dispositions, Canada

Table 6.3 Female Youth Disposition*, Regions

 

Disposition**	1991/ 1992	%***	1992/ 1993	%	1993/ 1994	%	1994/ 1995	%
ATLANTIC
Secure Custody	53	5	62	6	55	6	86	8
Open Custody	178	17	143	15	133	13	167	16
Probation	679	64	643	66	693	69	698	66
Fine & Community Service Order	89	8	72	7	59	6	78	7
Absolute Discharge	41	4	44	5	51	5	53	5
QUEBEC
Secure Custody	27	7	34	7	27	5	31	6
Open Custody	25	7	24	5	41	8	27	5
Probation	209	57	300	63	291	59	337	65
Fine & Community Service Order	70	20	88	18	96	20	97	19
Absolute Discharge	22	6	23	5	19	4	13	2
ONTARIO
Secure Custody	351	8	395	8	559	10	581	11
Open Custody	773	17	903	18	1,084	19	988	19
Probation	1,499	33	1,660	33	1,704	30	2,871	57
Fine & Community Service Order	1,104	24	1,247	25	1,456	25	273	5
Absolute Discharge	381	8	415	8	386	7	314	6
PRAIRIE
Secure Custody	236	5	263	6	345	7	309	7
Open Custody	315	7	332	7	415	9	413	9
Probation	2,145	47	2,166	47	2,226	48	2,081	47
Fine & Community Service Order	1,365	30	1,429	31	1,252	26	1,273	29
Absolute Discharge	369	8	242	5	212	5	206	5
PACIFIC
Secure Custody	39	3	77	5	100	7	88	6
Open Custody	177	12	163	11	223	15	201	14
Probation	1,015	70	1,040	69	972	66	965	67
Fine & Community Service Order	94	7	101	7	183	12	88	6
Absolute Discharge	108	7	111	7	99	7	84	6

* Source: Youth Court Survey

** Disposition is the most serious disposition for a person or a case. The seriousness of the disposition is determined by the effect it has on the young person. The dispositions above are ordered from most to least serious. If the disposition with the highest priority is a fine, compensation on pay purchases, and there is a combination of these, the disposition with the largest dollar value is selected as the most significant. In the event that multiple charges result in multiple custody orders, the highest priority is assigned to the largest custody order. The same situation applies in the case of multiple probation orders.

*** Percentage of female youth dispositions per total female youth dispositions

 

CHART 6.3A Percentage of Female Youth Dispositions Per Total Female

Youth Dispositions, Atlantic Region

 

CHART 6.3B Percentage of Female Youth Dispositions Per Total

Female Youth Dispositions, Quebec Region

 

CHART 6.3C Percentage of Female Youth Dispositions Per Total

Female Youth Dispositions, Ontario Region

 

CHART 6.3D Percentage of Female Youth Dispositions Per Total

Female Youth Dispositions, Prairie Region

 

CHART 6.3E Percentage of Female Youth Dispositions Per Total

Female Youth Dispositions, Pacific Region

 

QUESTION 7:

HAS THERE BEEN AN INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF FEMALE YOUTH TRANSFERRED TO ADULT COURT?

Overall, very few female youth are transferred to adult court in Canada. In 1991/92 there was only 3, in 1992/93 there was 2, in 1993/94 there was 0, and in 1994/95 there was 6. Note that in 1994/95 all 6 transfers were in Manitoba.

Table 7.1 Female Youth Transferred to Adult Court*, Regions & Canada

	1991/ 1992	Age	1992/ 1993	Age	1993/ 1994	1994/ 1995	Age
Atlantic	0		1	16	0	0	16
Quebec	1	15	0		0	0	16
Ontario	1	16	1	15	0	0	16
Prairie	1	17	0		0	6**	16
Pacific	0		0		0	0	17
Canada- Total	3		2		0	6	17

* Youth Court Survey

** All 6 cases were Manitoba

*** See Appendix E for additional research findings

 

APPENDIX A

DATA SOURCES

1. UNIFORM CRIME REPORTING SURVEY

• A continuous historical record of crime and traffic statistics that have been investigated and reported by every police agency in Canada since 1962.
• As of 1995, there were approximately 1,800 separate police locations responding to the Survey, comprising about 420 different police forces. The most significant loss of information occurs in the rare situation where a police force fails to submit data to the Centre. In this situation, estimates are calculated for that particular force.
• Collected information includes the number of criminal incidents, the clearance status of those incidents and information on persons charged.
• Data is available for nearly 100 separate criminal offenses.
• Incidents are classified according to the most serious offense occurring in the incident (generally the offense which carries the longest maximum sentence under the Criminal Code of Canada). Violent offenses always take precedence over non-violent offenses (i.e. an incident involving a breaking and entering offense and an assault is counted as an assault incident).
• Note: The 1996 UCR Survey used in this research will not be officially released until approximately December, 1997.

2. REVISED, OR INCIDENT BASED, UNIFORM CRIME REPORTING SURVEY

• In 1984 the UCR Survey was re-developed to expand the information collected from the UCR Survey.
• The Revised UCR Survey allows detailed examinations of accused and victim characteristics (e.g., age, sex, alcohol/drug consumption, relationship, level of injury and weapon causing injury), as well as characteristics of the incident itself (e.g., location, targets of violations, secondary violations, the presence of weapons, property type, date and time).
• In 1996, the Revised UCR Survey had 154 police forces reporting to it, representing about 47% of the national volume of reported crime: 39% of incidents were from Quebec, 38% from Ontario, 10% from Alberta, 8% from British Columbia, 4% from Saskatchewan and 1% from New Brunswick. With the exception of Quebec, the majority of police departments are urban.

3. YOUTH COURT SURVEY

• National database of statistical information on charges, cases and persons involving accused who are aged 12 to 17 years (up to the 18th birthday).
• Basic charge data are used to ‘create’ cases, a case being all the charges against one young person that have the same date of first appearance.
• Data is collected from all youth courts in Canada and is intended to achieve complete coverage of charges dealt with by youth courts.
• Is a census of federal statute charges (Criminal Code, Narcotic Control Act, Food and Drugs Act, Young Offender Act, and other federal statutes) heard in youth courts.
• Excludes appeals, reviews, provincial statutes, and municipal by-law infractions.

4. CORRECTIONS KEY INDICATOR REPORT FOR ADULTS AND YOUNG OFFENDERS

• Data is quite general in nature.
• Is used mainly to monitor corrections population trends.
• Allows for historical comparisons and provides for some indication of current trends and demands.

5. OTHER STUDIES

1. Report of the Federal-Provincial-Territorial Task Force on Youth Justice A Profile of the Juvenile Justice System in Canada

Sharon Moyer, November 1996

• Provides a detailed quantitative description of the ways in which young offenders are dealt with by the justice system.
• Details the characteristics of youth crime and the processing of these crimes by the youth justice system.

B. Serious Violent Offenses and Offenders in Youth Court

Naomi Lee and Tim Leonard, December 1995

• Provides a statistical profile of a set of young persons who have at least one charge relating to any of the following serious offenses adjudicated under the YOA: murder, attempted murder, manslaughter, aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault with a weapon, rape and aggravated assault for an 8 year period (1986-1993).

6. CANADIAN CENSUS

• Source: Statistics Canada, Census and Household Statistics Branch, Demography Division (Final Postcensal Estimates for 1991, 1992; Updated Postcensal Estimates for 1993, 1994, 1995; and Preliminal Postcensal for 1996).

• Note that the population estimates used in this report are not the most recent. However, the changes are very slight and do not affect the results. To illustrate, the most recent population statistics available are the Final Postcensal Estimates for 1991 and 1992; Updated Postcensal Estimates for 1993, 1994, 1995; and Preliminal Postcensal for 1996.

• Comparison:

 

	1992	1993	1994	1995	1996
Used	1,126,400	1,140,600	1,150,300	1,163,500	1,179,063
Updated	1,128,324	1,140,815	1,150,771	1,163,544	1,179,063

 

APPENDIX B

DATA PRESENTATION

• This report presents data on the national and regional levels separately and provides comparisons between regions. This is done because there is often disparity between regions and Canadian totals are greatly influenced by what happens in large population provinces, such as Ontario.

• The wording in this report, specifically the definitions, are often extracted verbatim from the sources (i.e., Uniform Crime Report and Youth Court Survey). If further clarification is needed on any definition, please refer to the original source.

 

APPENDIX C

REPORT Serious Violent Offenses and Offenders in Youth Court

Naomi Lee and Tim Leonard, December 1995

• Lee and Leonard concluded in their research on serious violent youth offenders that "[o]ffenses involving accused under fifteen years of age accounted for only 17% of the charges of serious violence (15% for males and 2% for females). One-fifth of the charges related to offenses that occurred when the accused was fifteen, 26% of offenses at age sixteen and 35% of offenses at age seventeen. Sixteen- and seventeen-year-old accused, therefore, accounted for the bulk (62%) of the charges" (1995:9).

 

APPENDIX D

REPORTS: Serious Violent Offenses and Offenders in Youth Court

Naomi Lee and Tim Leonard, December 1995

A Profile of the Juvenile Justice System in Canada

Sharon Moyer, November 1996

• There is widespread consensus among the Canadian populace and research that large portions of young offenders are perpetrators of the most serious forms of violence. To illustrate, this is evident in the extensive media coverage afforded to the topic. However, according to Lee and Leonard (1995), these accounts "belie the fact...that the phenomenon of serious youth violence is actually so infrequent that it tends to elude statistical analysis" (1). Similarly, the research of Moyer (1996:2) concludes that "[e]ven a cursory look at the type of offenses which result in system involvement shows that the vast majority of juvenile criminal behavior involved is not, by any definition, very serious in nature" (1996:2).

• To illustrate, referring to the research of Lee and Leonard (1995), "[b]oth the UCR and YCS indicate very small numbers per year of...[violent] offenses....UCR data, from 1986 to 1993, yield the following average numbers of young [male and female] persons charged per year in all provinces and territories:
  • Murder: 39
  • Manslaughter: 5
  • Attempted Murder: 65
  • Aggravated Sexual Assault: 20
  • Sexual Assault with a Weapon: 51
  • Aggravated Assault: 254
  • All the above: 434" (2).  

• Lee and Leonard (1995:4) further state that "[t]o put this base into perspective it is worth noting that during the reference period, in the nine jurisdictions included in the study, approximately three million individuals were at risk of being charged under the YOA, that is, they were between the ages of 12 and 17 years at some time during the reference period. The estimated number of young persons identified for this study, therefore, represents a mere 0.06% of the population at risk, and their charges relating to serious offenses are approximately 0.3% of the 900,000 charges of all types dealt with by youth courts of the nine jurisdictions in the same period".

1996 Incident Based Uniform Crime Report Survey

• Selected Violations Against the Person, by Gender of Victim and Accused, 1996

	Female Accused (%)	Male Accused (%)	Total Accused (#)
Female Victims (%)	7.2	48.2	43,328
Male Victims (%)	5.9	38.7	34,070
Total Victims (#)	9,958	66,440	76,398

* Excludes incidents involving multiple accused and incidents where gender in unknown

** Counts the number of individual victimizations by sex of victim and accused

*** Source: Incident Based UCR, Policing Services Program, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics

 

APPENDIX E

REPORT: Serious Violent Offenses and Offenders in Youth Court

Naomi Lee and Tim Leonard, December 1995

• Only a small fraction of young persons (males and females) charged with serious violent offenses were transferred to adult court.

• Transfer orders were issued by youth courts in more cases that did not involve violent offenses than in cases that did.

• Youth who were transferred tend to be of the upper limit of the age jurisdiction of the YOA.

• Youth who were transferred tend to have rather high charge to person ratios in their youth court histories. They share these characteristics, however, with many who remain in the youth justice system and receive dispositions under the Act. The data signal a need for more detailed research into the working and effects of the transfer provisions of the YOA (50).

 

APPENDIX F

Youth Court Survey

• A case is one or more charges against a young person which are presented in court on the same date. Basic charge data are used to ‘create’ cases, a case being all the charges against a young person that have the same date of first appearance. Identifiers used to link charges to cases are the coded name, sex, date of birth, date of first court appearance and court location code. This report uses case counts as the unit of analysis.

Uniform Crime Report

• An incident is the basis for counting reported crime. An incident is the set of connected events usually constituting an occurrence report. In the aggregate survey, the incident is used in conjunction with the Most Serious Offense rule to form the aggregate offense counts (see below for definition of the Most Serious Offense rule). In the incident based survey, information for each incident is reported individually. Aggregate most serious offense rules are then applied to these data in order to reconcile them with historical aggregate counts as well as with data from aggregate respondents.

• Most Serious Offense Rule - The UCR classifies incidents according to the most serious offense in the incident. In categorizing incidents, violent offenses always take precedence over non-violent offenses. The CUR Survey scores violent incidents differently from other types of crimes. For violent crimes, a separate incident is recorded for each victim (categorized according to the most serious offense against the victim). If, for example, one person assaults three people, then three incidents are recorded. If three people assault one person, only one incident is recorded. For non-violent crimes, one incident (categorized according to the most serious offense in the incident) is counted for every distinct or separate occurrence.

• Robbery is one exception to the above ruling. Robbery is categorized as a violent offense. Unlike all other violent offenses, one occurrence of robbery is equal to one incident, regardless of the number of victims. The reason for this exception is that robbery can involve many people who could all be considered victims. In a bank robbery with 5 tellers and 20 customers present, 25 incidents of robbery would be counted if the normal scoring rule for violent incidents were applied. This would seriously overstate the occurrence of robbery.

• Thus, the total number of incidents recorded by the CUR survey is not a census of all violations of the law that come to the attention of the police. Rather, it is equal to the number of victims of violent crimes (other than robberies) plus the number of separate occurrences of non-violent crimes (and robberies).

• Persons charged - The CUR also records the number of persons charged. For incidents that are cleared, the survey collects the number of adults charged by gender, as well as the number of youths (aged 12 to 17 years) charged by gender. The "persons charged" category includes the number of people charged or recommended for charges by police, not the number of charges laid or recommended or laid against those people. A person who is simultaneously charged with more than one offense is counted according to the most serious offense, even if the offenses occurred in more than one incident. In addition, persons may be counted more than once throughout the year; that is, individuals are counted on each occasion that they are charged by the police.

• Persons charged refers to persons who were charged in connection with a particular incident. These persons, however, may have been charged later with a lesser offense. For example, a person who commits a breaking and entering offense may end up being charged with possession of stolen goods if, for instance, the police have better evidence on the latter offense. Both the actual incident and the person charged are counted under breaking and entering, even though the person was actually charged with possession of stolen goods.

Corrections Key Indicator Report

The data used in this report are the average month-end admission count to a facility. Averages are calculated by adding all month-end admission counts and dividing the total number of months for the corresponding period. Actual in counts includes all youths on remand and temporary detention, sentenced offenders and other young offenders who are legally required to be at a facility and are present at the time the count is taken.