Report on Offences against the Administration of Justice

Earlier this month, the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics, part of the Crown agency Statistics Canada, published a new Juristat report entitled Offences against the Administration of Justice, 1994/95 to 2003/04 (summary of the report). The full report is available in most depository libraries.

Juristat reports are irregular publications that provide detailed statistics and analysis on a variety of topics and issues related to Canada's justice system. There are also annual Juristats on topics such as crime, homicide, youth and adult courts, and corrections.

Offences against the administration of justice primarily include sections of the Criminal Code on corruption, misleading justice, falsely claiming to be a peace officer, trying to influence a municipal official, disobeying and escapes. Other Criminal Code offences concerning failure to comply with a probation order or a breach of order of long-term supervision are also included.

Offences against the administration of justice encumber the Canadian justice system by causing individuals to reappear before the courts for reasons unrelated to new criminal activities. They represent an additional cost in dollars and also in terms of the efficiency of the justice system.

According to the report:

• The proportion of adults charged by police services with at least one offence against the administration of justice increased from 17% of all accused persons charged in 1998 to 22% in 2004
• The proportion of cases before adult criminal courts including an offence against the administration of justice increased from 22% in 1994/95 to 31% in 2003/04 and from 30% to 40% for youth courts
• During the last 10 years, the proportion of multiple-charge cases involving at least one offence against the administration of justice increased from 27% in 1994/95 to 36% in 2003/04 for adult criminal courts, and from 42% in 1994/95 to 54% in 2003/04 for youth courts
• The incarceration rate for offences against the administration of justice was much higher than that for offences overall but prison sentences for offences against the administration of justice tend to be shorter