In a NutshellSome Details

In a Nutshell

 

  • For the most part, they come from underprivileged families;
  • More than half of them have problems of multiple drug and alcohol abuse;
  • Almost 80% of these women have already been victims of physical or sexual violence:  rape, incest, child abuse, conjugal abuse, etc.;
  • They are under-educated, having generally not finished their third year of high school;
  • They are anxious and have difficulty affirming themselves in a positive, constructive way.

Who are these women Elizabeth Fry Society

 Some Details

  • 66% of women in federal custody are mothers. 70% of them are single mothers (Blanchard, 2002.)
  • The average annual cost of incarceration per woman increased from $ 150 867 in 2003-2004 to $ 182 506 in 2007-2008. (Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview – 2009, Public Safety Canada) This cost can reach $ 250 000 for women kept in the most isolated and segregated conditions of confinement, such as the segregated maximum security units in the prisons for women. (CAEFS, Human & Fiscal Costs of Prison)
  • Over two-thirds (69.9%) of women who are incarcerated upon conviction receive a sentence of one month or less (Source: Adult Criminal Court Survey, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada / Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview – 2009, Public Safety Canada)
  • 80% of offenders have a history of some kind of substance abuse. (Howard Sapers, Correctional investigator – Correctional Service of Canada, interview on The Current, CBC Radio: “Prisoners and Mental Health,” April 1, 2011)
  • 50% of female offenders have some form of mental illness or mental health problems. (Howard Sapers, Correctional investigator – Correctional Service of Canada, interview on The Current, CBC Radio: “Prisoners and Mental Health,” April 1, 2011)
  • In 2003/2004, just under one third (32%) of female adult offenders found guilty of prostitution were sentenced to custody, compared to 9% of male adults. (Female offenders in Canada by Rebecca Kong and Kathy AuCoin / Statistics Canada, Juristat, Volume 28, Number 1, 2009)
  • In 2003/2004, 26% of women found guilty of drug possession were sentenced to custody compared to 20% of men. (Female offenders in Canada by Rebecca Kong and Kathy AuCoin / Statistics Canada, Juristat, Volume 28, Number 1, 2009)
  • While only 3% of female adults in Canada are Aboriginal, one-quarter of women serving a federal sentence were Aboriginal. (Female offenders in Canada by Rebecca Kong and Kathy AuCoin / Statistics Canada, Juristat, Volume 28, Number 1, 2009)
  • Given the relatively small number of women charged with and found guilty of criminal offences, women have historically accounted for a small proportion of the corrections population in Canada. In 2004/2005, female offenders accounted for 6% of offenders in provincial / territorial custody, 4% of offenders in federal custody. (Female offenders in Canada by Rebecca Kong and Kathy AuCoin / Statistics Canada, Juristat, Volume 28, Number 1, 2009)
  • En 2008-2009, la prostitution (31%), la fraude (31%) et le vol d’une valeur de moins de 5000$ (30%) sont les infractions les plus souvent commises par les femmes. (Thomas, 2010)
  • It costs substantially less to maintain an offender in the community than to keep that individual incarcerated: $24,825 per year versus $101,666 per year (average cost for men). (Source: Public Accounts of Canada, Correctional Service Canada / Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview – 2009, Public Safety Canada)
  • The crime rate, since peaking in 1991, continues to decline. In 2008, the crime rate was the lowest recorded in the last 25 years. (Source: Uniform Crime Reporting Survey, Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, Statistics Canada / Corrections and Conditional Release Statistical Overview – 2009, Public Safety Canada)