The Safe Return of Offenders to the Community Statistical Overview April 2005

Larry Motiuk
Colette Cousineau
Justin Gileno

Contents

A. Introduction

B. Factors Influencing the Size of the Federal Offender Population

C. Successful Return of Offenders to the Community

D. Crime Reduction Through Effective Treatment

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A. Introduction

The federal correctional system is administered by the Correctional Service of Canada.¹ While its "client group" may be said to be composed of federal offenders,² the Service is ultimately serving all Canadians.

Citizens have a right to know how well the system is operating and what measures are being taken to promote and improve public safety. This document is intended to provide interested Canadians with useful and accurate statistics regarding the safe return of federal offenders to the community.

The values and beliefs of the CSC are articulated in its mission document, which has been endorsed by every Solicitor General of Canada since 1988. The mission statement sets out the following:

The CSC, as part of the criminal justice system and respecting the rule of law, contributes to the protection of society by actively encouraging and assisting offenders to become law-abiding citizens, while exercising reasonable, safe, secure and humane control.

The mission statement provides federal corrections with a strategic framework for contributing to the safe return of offenders to the community.

Legally, the CSC operates under the 1992 Corrections and Conditional Release Act.³ It states that the purpose of the federal corrections system is to contribute to the maintenance of a just, peaceful, and safe society by:

Carrying out sentences imposed by the courts through the safe and humane custody and supervision of offenders; and

Assisting in the rehabilitation of offenders and their reintegration into the community as law-abiding citizens through the provision of programs in penitentiaries and in the community.

Of all the factors that influence public safety, the Correctional Service of Canada, in collaboration with the National Parole Board, can only influence the safe release of offenders into the community. There is solid evidence to support the premise that the gradual and structured release of offenders is the safest strategy for the protection of society against new offences by released offenders.

For example, recidivism studies have found that the percentage of safe returns to the community is higher for supervised offenders than for those released with no supervision.

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In 1971, Irvin Waller conducted a study of 423 offenders who had been released into Southern Ontario during 1968 from Ontario federal penitentiaries. Of the 423 offenders in the study, 210 had been selected for release on early parole and 213 were unconditionally released at the expiry of their sentence. Of these latter, 113 had never applied for parole and 100 did apply but were refused. Waller's study found the following results:⁴

		Arrested Within 2 Years
	Number	N	%
Parolees	210	82	39%
Direct Discharges	213	144	68%
Total	423	226	53%

• Of the 210 parolees in the study, 10% (21) were arrested for a violent offence and 29% (61) were arrested for a non-violent offence.
• For the 213 direct discharge offenders, 18% (38) were arrested for a violent offence and 50% (106) were arrested for a non-violent offence.

This early study provided evidence that a gradual, supervised release promoted a safer return of federal offenders to the community.

In another study, Harman and Hann⁵ looked at federal prisoners who had been released in 1983-1984 to the community. They found:

• Of the 3,267 male offenders returned to the community, 50% re-offended at follow-up three years later.
• Of those who re-offended, 67% were on mandatory release and 30% re-offended while on full parole.

According to Correctional Service of Canada's Offender Intake Assessment (OIA) process:

• More than 2-in-3 new federal admissions (68%) have served at least one prior custodial term in a provincial adult institution.
• The percentage of federal offenders who previously had been in prison rises to 87% if we include those who also served a custody term when they were under the age of 18.
• This compares to 26% of federal admissions, since 1994, who have served a prior federal penitentiary term.

The Service is working to better prepare offenders for release and provide them with greater support once they are in the community. These efforts are paying off in terms of higher rates of safe return to the community and lower rates of criminal recidivism.

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B. Factors Influencing the Size of the Federal Offender Population

B1. Number of Offences

Since 1991, the overall trend in the number of offences in Canada has been downward. This is a reversal of the trend over the previous decade, where it generally increased.

• Between 1991 and 2003, there was an 11% decrease in the overall number of offences reported by police.
• Most categories of violent crime - specifically homicide, sexual assaults, and robbery - have decreased since 1993.

Source: Statistics Canada. (2004). "Crime Statistics in Canada, 2003." Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics. Juristat, Vol.24 No. 6.

 

B1a. Homicide Offences

• Homicides account for less than 1% of all violent crime in Canada and have decreased significantly since 1991 - there were 754 homicides in 1991 versus 548 in 2003.⁶

Homicide in Canadian and American Cities

Despite having incarceration rates that are 5 to 6 times higher, American cities are much more dangerous than comparable Canadian cities. Seven U.S. and Canadian cities were selected to compare homicide and violent crime rates. Cities were matched for general similarity in size and/or geographical location.

• In all cases, the homicide rates of the American cities are all higher than their Canadian neighbors, and this would generally be true for any sample of larger American versus Canadian cities.
• Between the matched pairs in the study, the difference in homicide rates is usually quite large (e.g., between Chicago - 20.6 per 100,000 - and Toronto - 1.8 per 100,000).

Homicide rates (per 100,000), 2003

	Population	Rate
Vancouver	2,126,111	2.1
Seattle	576,296	5.9
Calgary	1,023,666	1.1
Denver	565,905	11.1
Winnipeg	688,746	2.6
Minneapolis	378,602	12.1
Toronto	5,118,992	1.8
Chicago	2,898,374	20.6
Ottawa-Carleton	866,621	1.1
Whashington DC	563,384	44.0
Montreal	3,586,221	1.6
Philidelphia	1,495,903	23.3
Halifax	377,932	0.8
Norfolk	242,077	16.5
Canada	31,629,677	1.7
United States	290,809,777	5.7

Source: Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada. Uniform Crime Reports, Bureau of Justice Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation.
Note: Crime data are based on reports for municipal police forces, not the wider Census Metropolitan Area populations.

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Relative to many industrialized countries, Canada ranks below the others in the number of homicides per 100,000 population.

International Comparisons
Number of Homicides Per 100,000 Population, average per year 2000 to 2002

Source: Crime in England and Wales 2003/2004: Supplementary Volume 1: Homicide and Gun Crime.

National Comparisons for Selected Countries
Homicide Rates Per 100,000 Population

Source: Crime in England and Wales 2003/2004: Supplementary Volume 1: Homicide and Gun Crime.

 

B2. Number of Prisoners

The number of prisoners per 100,000 Canadian population is 110.

• For 2002-2003, the total number of prisoners for Canada was 110 per 100,000 total population, as follows:

Total number of prisoners for Canada was 110 per 100,000 total population

	Number of Prisoners	Canadian Total Population	Rate per 100,000 Canadians
Canada Total	34,643	31,414,000	110
Federal	12,838	31,414,000	40
Provincial/ Territorial	19,674	31,414,000	62
Young Offenders *	2,131	31,414,000	7

Source: Adult Correctional Services Survey and Key Indicator Report, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada. Youth Custody and Community Services in Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada.
*Due to the unavailability of data, Ontario 12- to -15 year-olds have been excluded.

Distribution of Prison Population, 1996

On October 5^th, 1996, a census of prisoners in all adult correctional facilities in Canada was conducted.

• The majority of prisoners are male: 98% of federal and 93% of provincial/territorial prisoners.
• Aboriginal inmates account for 14% of the federal prison population and 19% of the provincial/territorial prison population.

Distribution of Prison Population

	Number of Prisoners	Gender		Aboriginal Status
		Men	Women	Non-Aboriginal	Aboriginal
Canada Total	35,847	34,156	1,694	29,586	6,108
Federal	13,829	13,619	210	11,865	1,964
Provincial/ Territorial	22,018	20,537	1,484	17,721	4,144

Source: A One-Day Snapshot of Inmates in Canada's Adult Correctional Facilities Survey, 1996, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada.

 

B2a. Imprisonment Rates

Comparisons of European and North American imprisonment rates (both adults and youth) for 2003 show that Canada's rate was at the high end compared to Europe, but was significantly below the incarceration rate of the United States.

13 International Comparisons
Number of Prisoners in Europe and North America per 100,000 Population, 2003

Source: World Prison Population List (Sixth Edition), King's College London, International Centre for Prison Studies, United Kingdom . Note: Arrows indicate an increase or decrease over the previous year.

 

B3. Prison Admissions

The number of offenders admitted⁷ to provincial/territorial prisons declined between 1992-93 and 1998-99. Since then, there has been relatively little change.

Provincial/Territorial Prison Admissions⁸

• A notable increase in annual admissions over the period 1990 to 1994 contributed significantly to a rapid expansion in prison custody populations in provincial/ territorial jurisdictions.
• The number of provincial/territorial admissions peaked in 1992-93 (federal admissions peaked one year later). This growth was predominately caused by the increase in the remand (non-sentenced) admissions between 1985-86 and 1991-92, as shown in the following Chart.
• Since 1998-99, although sentenced admissions continue to decrease, remand admissions have been increasing, slightly raising the number of provincial/territorial admissions in 2002-03.

Provincial/Territorial Annual Prison Admissions

Source: Adult Correctional Services Survey, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada.

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Admissions to federal penitentiaries have fluctuated over recent years.

Federal Prison Admissions

• New federal admissions⁹ increased about 30% between 1985-86 and 1993-94, from 4,100 to 5,100. This contributed in large measure to the rapid growth of the federal prison population in the early 1990s. After peaking in 1993-94, admissions declined to 4,244 in 2002-2003.

Canadian Population, Crime and Federal Prisoners(1982-2003)

Source: Adult Correctional Services Survey, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada.

• While the Canadian population has steadily increased, the number of offences reported by police began to decrease in 1991. The number of federal admissions peaked in 1993-94 and the federal prison population increased until 1997.

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B4. Length of Sentence

Over the past decade, the average length of a fixed sentence being served by prisoners in the federal system has fluctuated. Since 1997-98, however, the average sentence length has been steadily dropping.

• The length of sentence being served by an offender determines not only how much time will be spent in a penitentiary, but also the earliest possible date for supervised release into the community.
• Between 1988-89 and 1996-97, the average length¹⁰ of sentence for offenders entering the federal system with new sentences declined from a high point of 47 months to a low point of 45 months. In 1996-97, there was a rise which peaked in 1997-98. Since then, the average sentence length has been decreasing.

Average Sentence Length at Admission

Source: Adult Correctional Services Survey, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada, 2002-03.

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B5. Length of Imprisonment

For federal offenders, the average time served in federal custody until first release¹¹ remained relatively constant over the period 1985-86 to 2000-01.

The chart below shows the average time served by offenders with sentences from 2 to 5 years (about 80% of admissions) admitted over the past decade.

Given the small sampling number and the relatively short period over which data are available, for offenders with longer sentences, it is not possible at this time to provide adequate information on the average time served by offenders with sentences of over five years.

Federal Time Served to First Release

Source: Senior Statistician, Research Branch, Correctional Service of Canada.

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B6. Profile of Federal Offenders

Eventually, almost every incarcerated offender will be released from prison after serving the sentence prescribed by the courts. The challenge for the Service is to provide programs and supervision that will enable the offender to safely reintegrate into the community. To meet this challenge, it is essential to understand the composition of the federal prison population, and the obstacles faced by many offenders.

Federal Admissions

Since November 1994, over 40,923 new offenders have been admitted to federal institutions:¹²

• Roughly 9 out of 10 offenders admitted to federal institutions have a previous youth or adult court conviction.
• 23% of these federal offenders have served a prior sentence in a young offender secure custody facility; 66% have served a prior sentence in an adult provincial prison; and, when combined, 86% have served either a previous young offender or adult provincial prison sentence.
• 26% have served a previous federal prison sentence.

Federal Inmates In Custody

The characteristics of the federal prison population (approximately 12,377 prisoners) as of December 31st, 2004¹³ is as follows:

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B6a. Long-Term Offenders

Long-term offenders make up a large part of the federal offender population. As of December 2004, there were 6,721 men and 177 women serving sentences of ten years or more.¹⁴

• The 6,721 men serving 10 years or more make up 35% of the total population of male offenders and 62% of them are incarcerated.
• The 177 women serving 10 years or more make up 20% of the total population of female offenders and 44% of them are incarcerated.

As of December 2004, a total of 3,979 men and 141 women were serving life sentences.

• Of the 3,979 men serving life sentences, 61% were incarcerated.
• Of the 141 women serving life sentences, 48% were incarcerated.

Long-Term Male Offenders by Security Level

Source: Research Branch, Correctional Service of Canada.
*Other includes Exchange of Service Agreements and other prisoners that are incarcerated at other institutions.

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B6b. Older Offenders

The population of federal offenders aged 50 and over has grown since 1995.

• Factors to be considered in dealing with aging offenders include: medical care, adjustment to prison, rehabilitation programs, prison environment and violence, peer/ family relationships, and community release.

Federal Prisoners Are Younger than the Canadian Adult Population

Source: Research Branch, Correctional Service of Canada. Adult Correctional Services in Canada, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada.
*Note: Federal inmate counts are as of December 2004 for inmates incarcerated in federal jurisdictions only. Adult population data is as of July 2002.

• As of December 1st 2004, there were 1,845 offenders in federal prisons who were 50 years of age or older, which is an increase of 61% since 1995.

Source: Research Branch, Correctional Service of Canada.

 

B7. Population Distributions

The proportion of federal offenders under community supervision has declined slightly since the fourth quarter of 2000-2001.

Federal Offenders in Prison or Under Supervision in the Community

Source: CJIL-DW, Performance Management, CSC June 2006.
Note: Offender Management System data are weekly snaphots taken the last week of each quarter for each year. Incarcerated includes male and female federal offenders in federal or provincial institutions, and those on temporary absence. Community includes male and female federal offenders on day parole, on full parole, on statutory release, those temporarily detained, and those deported. Excluded are provincial offenders and federal offenders on bail or unlawfully at large.

 

C. Successful Return of Offenders to the Community

Conditional release programs (i.e., day parole, full parole, or statutory release) are based on the premise that a period of supervised transition from prison to the community enhances public safety and the rehabilitation of offenders.

A 1998 report¹⁵ found considerable evidence to support the premise that a period of supervised transition from prison to the community enhances public safety and the rehabilitation of offenders. In particular, the process of selection for parole (discretionary release) based on the assessment of risk to re-offend and decision-making is effective in identifying those offenders who will successfully reintegrate into the community.

Day Parole

Day parole is the authority granted to an offender by the National Parole Board to be at large during the offender's sentence in order to prepare them for full parole or statutory release. The offender is required to return to a penitentiary or community-based residential facility each night.

• Day parolees comprise 12%-20%¹⁶ of the conditional release population and generally remain under supervision for up to 6 months. The absolute number of day paroles granted decreased from 3,161 in 1995-96 to 3,120 in 2003-2004.

Full Parole

Under full parole, the offender is not required to return to a facility at night, but does have conditions imposed on his or her liberty (activities, associations, location, etc.).

• Full parolees make up 50%-60% of offenders in the community. They remain under supervision for the longest periods (e.g., up to two thirds of sentence, or 16 months on a 24-month sentence). The absolute number of full paroles granted decreased from 1,954 in 1995-96 to 1,611 in 2003-2004.

Statutory Release

Statutory Release occurs after 2/3 of sentence. As with full and day parole, offenders are supervised until the end of their sentence.

• Statutory Releases make up about one third of offenders in the community and account for 50% of annual releases from federal institutions.

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The yearly success rates in 2003-2004 for day parole, full parole, and statutory releases are among the highest in recent years. From a public safety perspective, offenders granted a discretionary release (e.g., a day parole or full parole) and properly supervised in the community demonstrate very high levels of success.

• The rate of reconviction for violent offences* while under community supervision has declined since 1994-95.
• Those offenders under discretionary release (full parole and day parole) are less likely to be convicted of a violent offence while under supervision than those on statutory release.

Rates of Convictions for Violent Offences per 1000 Supervised Offenders

Source: Solicitor General of Canada. (2004). Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview.
*Note: Violent offences include homicide, manslaughter, attempted murder, assault, sexual offences, abduction, robbery and weapon offences.
The dotted line between 2002-03 and 2003-04 is intended to signify that due to delays in the court process, these numbers under-represent the actual number of convictions, as verdicts may not have been reached by year-end.

 

C1. Contribution to Crime in Canada

The following table depicts the number of crimes for which federal offenders under supervision in the community during the 2003 calendar year received a conviction for offences occurring that same year.¹⁷

• During 2003, federal offenders received 16,437 different periods of community supervision.
• 686 (or 4.1%) of these release periods resulted in a re-admission in 2003 because a new crime had been committed.
• A total of 2.8 million offences were reported in Canada in 2003. Of these, 2,659 new convictions were recorded against offenders under supervision in the community, an average of about 3.8 new convictions for each of the 686 re-admissions.

 

Contribution to Crime in Canada

	UCR Crime Survey 2003	Offences Committed by Federal Offenders During 2003 While on Release
UCR Crime Category	N	N	Per 1,000 Crimes
Violent Offences - Non-Sexual	278,552	362	1.3
Sex Offences	25,963	15	0.6
Drug Offences	85,953	88	1.0
Property and all other Federal Offences	2,419,768	2,194	0.9
Total Federal Offences	2,810,236	2,659	0.9

Source: Offender Management System records, Performance Measurement, Correctional Service of Canada. Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada.

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As a proportion of all crimes reported in the 2003 Uniform Crime Reporting survey, released federal offenders re-admitted with a new conviction were therefore responsible for just over 1 of every 1,000 federal statute offences reported to police in 2003, including:

• 1.3 of every 1,000 violent offences;
• 0.6 of every 1,000 sexual offences;
• 1.0 of every 1,000 drug offences;
• 0.9 of every 1,000 property or other federal statute offences.

As a proportion of all convictions, released federal offenders re-admitted with a new conviction were responsible for about one percent of criminal convictions in Canada.

Released Federal Offenders Contribution to Crime - 2003

*All federal statute offences including criminal code, traffic, drug, and other.
**Adjusted for missing data.

Source: Offender Management System records, Performance Measurement, Correctional Service of Canada. Uniform Crime Reporting Survey and Adult Criminal Court Survey, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada

 D. Crime Reduction Through Effective Treatment

Crime Reduction Through Effective Treatment

Target	Study	Design/Sample	Result
Education	"A Two Year Follow-up of Federal Offenders who Participated in the Adult Basic Education (ABE) Program" (R. Boe, 1998, R-60).	Compared a sample of male federal offenders who participated in ABE with a national sample of paroled offenders. Follow-up period of 2 years.	718 paroled offenders who completed ABE-8 program had a 7.1% reduction in re-admissions (from 24% for the benchmark group to 22.3% in the program group). 74 paroled offenders who completed ABE-10 program had a 21.3% reduction in re-admissions (from 24% for the benchmark group to 18.9% in the program group).
Employment	"Prison Work Programs and Post-release Outcome: A Preliminary Investigation" (L. Motiuk & R. Belcourt, 1996, R-43).	Compared a sample of male federal offenders who participated in CORCAN with a national sample of paroled offenders. Follow-up period of 1.5 years.	52 paroled offenders who participated fully in the prison industries program (CORCAN) had a 27.8% reduction in re-admissions (from 26.6% for the benchmark group to 19.2% in the program group).
Substance Abuse	"An Outcome Evaluation of CSC Substance Abuse Programs: OSAPP, ALTO, and Choices," Executive Summary (T3 Associates).	Compared a sample of male federal offenders who participated in OSAPP with a matched sample of offenders. Follow-up period of 1 year.	2,432 offenders completed OSAPP and showed a 14% reduction in re-admissions (from 49% for the benchmark group to 42% in the program group) and a 31% reduction in new convictions (from 21.9% for the benchmark group to 15.2% in the program group).
Substance Abuse	"The High Intensity Substance Abuse Program (HISAP): Results from the Pilot Programs" (B. Grant, D. Kunic, P. MacPerson, C. McKeown, E. Hanson, 2003, R-140)	Compared a sample of federal offenders who completed HISAP with a matched sample who did not participate in HISAP. Fixed follow-up period of 6 months.	55 offenders who completed HISAP demonstrated a 19% reduction in re-admissions to prison and 50% reduction in new convictions.
Substance Abuse	"Institutional Methadone Maintenance Treatment: Impact on Release Outcome and Institutional Behaviour" (S. Johnson, J. Van den Ven & B. Grant, 2001, R-119)	Compared a sample of federal offenders who participated in Methadone Maintenance Treatment (MMT) while incarcerated with a matched sample not participating. Fixed follow-up period of 12 months.	107 offenders who participated in MMT demonstrated a 46.1% reduction in re-admissions to prison and 28.6% reduction in new convictions.
Substance Abuse	"Intensive Support Units (ISU) for Federal Offenders with Substance Abuse Problems: An Impact Analysis" (B. Grant, D.V. Varis, & D. Lefebvre, 2004, R 151)	Compared a sample of federal offenders who participated in the ISU while incarcerated with a matched sample that did not reside on ISUs. Follow-up period of up to 24 months.	246 offenders who participated in the ISU showed: A 36% reduction in re-admission to custody (from 39% for matched comparison group to 25% in the ISU group) A 40.4% reduction in re-admission with a new offence (from 10.9% for matched comparison group to 6.5% in the ISU group)
Living Skills	"The Impact of Cognitive Skills Training on Post-release Recidivism among Canadian Federal Offenders" (D. Robinson, 1995, R-41).	Compared a sample of federal offenders who completed Cognitive Skills Training with offenders who remained on the waiting list without programming.	1,444 offenders who completed cognitive skills training demonstrated an 11% reduction in re-admissions to prison and 20% reduction in new convictions.
Living Skills	"Anger Management Programming for Federal Inmates: An Effective Intervention" (C. Dowden et al., 1999, R-82).	Compared a matched sample of male federal offenders to an untreated comparison group. Matched on age, risk and major offence. Average follow-up period of 1.5 years.	56 higher risk offenders who completed the Anger Management program showed a 69% reduction in non-violent recidivism (from 39.3% for the benchmark group to 12.5% in the program group) and an 86% reduction in violent recidivism (from 25% for the benchmark group to 3.6% in the program group).
Living Skills	"Altering Antisocial Attitudes among Federal Male Offenders on Release: A Preliminary Evaluation of the Counter Point Program" (A. Yessine, & D. Kroner, 2004, R-152)	Compared a sample of federal offenders who completed Counter Point with a sample of matched offenders released to the community. Average time at risk of 1.5 years.	332 released offenders who completed Counter Point showed: a 32% reduction in suspension rates (from 37% for the benchmark group to 25% in the program group); a 46% reduction in revocation rates (from 26% for the benchmark group to 14% in the program group); a 38% reduction in new offences (from 45% for the benchmark group to 28% in the program group).
Sex Offenders	"Applying the Risk Principle to Sex Offender Treatment" [A. Gordon & T. Nicholaichuk, 1996, FORUM, 8(2)].	Compared treated male sex offenders with a national sample of sex offenders. Follow-up of two years.	80 higher risk sex offenders on the Clearwater Unit program showed a 58.9% reduction in sexual recidivism (from 14.6% for the bench-mark group to 6.0% in the program group).
Sex Offenders	"A Multi-year Multi-modal Review of Sex Offender Programs in Federal Corrections" (L. Motiuk, 1998, 17th Annual Research and Treatment Conference of the Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers).	Compared treated male sex offenders with a national sample of all released sex offenders. Follow-up of three years.	210 treated sex offenders showed a 50% reduction in sexual recidivism (from 6% for the benchmark group to 3% in the program group).
Sex Offenders	"Recidivism among Treated Sexual Offenders and Matched Controls" (Looman, J., Abracen, J., & Nicholaichuk, T., 2000, Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 15, pp. 279-290).	Compared treated high-risk male sex offenders from the RTC(O) with matched untreated sex offenders. Average time at risk was 9.99 years.	89 treated sexual offenders showed a 51% reduction in sexual recidivism (from 51.7% for the benchmark group to 23.6% for the treated group).
Sex Offenders	"Outcome of an Institutional Sexual Offender Treatment Program: A Comparison between Treated and Matched Untreated Offenders" (Nicholaichuk, T., Gordon, A., Gu, D., & Wong, S., 2000, Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 12, pp. 139-153).	Compared high-risk male sex offenders treated between 1982 & 1995 from the RPC(Prairies) with matched untreated sex offenders. Average time at risk was 6 years.	296 treated sexual offenders showed a 56.3% reduction in sexual recidivism (from 33.2% for the benchmark group to 14.5% for the treated group).
Sex Offenders	"The Effectiveness of Therapeutic Interventions with Incarcerated Sexual Offenders" (Cortoni, F. & Nunes, K.L., 2005, Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers Annual Convention, Salt Lake City, Utah [Research Report in preparation])	Compared a sample of male sexual offenders treated in the National Sexual Offender Program between 2000 & 2004 with matched untreated sexual offenders. Average time at risk was 3 years.	347 treated sexual offenders showed a 68%* reduction in sexual recidivism (from 6.9% for the benchmark group to 1.7% for the treated group). * Rate of reduction is adjusted for risk and time-at-risk (time in the community).
Sex Offenders	"Circles of Support & Accountability: An Evaluation of the Pilot Project in South-Central Ontario" [COSA] (Wilson, R., Picheca, J.E., & Prinzo, M., 2005, Research Report R-168).	Compared high- risk sexual offenders released at the end of their sentence who were involved with COSA to a matched group of offenders who did not become involved in COSA. The average follow-up time was 4.5 years.	60 high-risk sexual offenders in COSA showed a 70% reduction in sexual recidivism (from 16.7% for benchmark group to 5% for COSA group).
Violent Offenders	"Treatment of Violent Offenders: It Works!" (Wong, S., 2001, Conference of the Swedish Correctional Service, Orebro, Sweden)	Compared treated violent offenders from the RPC (Prairies) Aggressive Behaviour Control (ABC) Program to an untreated matched control group. Average time at risk of 6 years.	93 treated higher risk violent offenders had a 48% reduction in violent recidivism (from 67% for the benchmark group to 35% for the treated group).
Violent Offenders	"Treatment Efficacy: A Comparison between Treated Gang and Non-gang Members and Matched Untreated Controls" (Di Placido, C., Witte, T., Wong, S., & Gu, D., 2002, Canadian Psychological Association's 63rd Annual Convention, Vancouver, B.C.)	Compared treated gang-member offenders from the RPC (Prairies) Aggressive Behaviour Control (ABC) Program to matched untreated gang members. Average time at risk of 3 years.	40 treated gang members had a 38% reduction in violent recidivism (from 60.6% for the benchmark group to 37.5% for the treated group).
Violent Offenders	"Effectiveness Research on Violence Prevention Programming" (Cortoni, F. & Nunes, K.L., 2005. Canadian Criminal Justice Association Biannual Conference, Calgary, AB [Research Report in preparation]).	Compared a sample of male high-risk violent offenders treated in the Violence Prevention Program between 2000 & 2004 with matched untreated violent offenders. Average time at risk was 1.3 years.	333 treated violent offenders had a 52%* reduction in violent recidivism (from 21.8% for the benchmark group to 8.5% for the treated group). * Rate of reduction is adjusted for risk levels and time-at-risk (time in the community)
Family Violence	"Evaluation of CSC's National Family Violence Prevention Programs". (British Columbia Institute Against Family Violence, 2004).	Compared treated family violence offenders to untreated family violence offenders. Follow-up of 6 months.	160 treated offenders had a 67% reduction in spousal violence recidivism (from 13% for the benchmark group to 4% for the treated group) and a 50% reduction in general violence recidivism (from 19% for the benchmark group to 10% for the treated group).