Library of Parliament Analysis of Sentencing and the Administration of Sentences Trends

The Library of Parliament blog HillNotes recently published an article entitled Sentencing and the Administration of Sentences: Recent Developments (2011-2015):

"Sentencing tools were much in the spotlight as the Canadian Government continued to promote law-and-order legislation during the 41st Parliament."

"New mandatory minimum sentences were among reforms to the sentencing regime introduced during the past four years."

"Other reforms included the enhancement of victim rights, the creation of specific offences and risk management measures, as well as changes to rules governing record suspensions. This HillNote reviews the highlights of these changes."

"During the span of the 41st Parliament, both the police-reported crime rate, which measures volume of crime, and the Crime Severity Index, which measures the seriousness of crime, continued their long-term downward trends."