Statistics Canada Article on Over-Representation of Indigenous Persons in Adult Provincial Custody

The Statistics Canada publication Juristat has published an article on Over-Representation of Indigenous Persons in Adult Provincial Custody, 2019/2020 and 2020/2021.

It found that the Indigenous incarceration rate was 8.9 times higher than the non-Indigenous incarceration rate in 2020/2021 in the five provinces covered (Nova Scotia, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Alberta and British Columbia).

Among the highlights:

• Indigenous men were most likely to experience incarceration, with almost one-in-ten Indigenous men aged 25-34 years experiencing incarceration over this period.
• In 2020/2021, the Over-Representation Index for Indigenous people was highest in Saskatchewan at 17.7 times higher than the non-Indigenous population, followed by Alberta (10.8), British Columbia (7.9), Ontario (6.3), and Nova Scotia (1.9).
• Over-representation increased in 2020/2021 by 14% from the previous year, when the over-representation index was 7.8.  Although, over-representation increased, the Incarceration rates for both Indigenous (down 18%) and non-Indigenous people (down 27%).
• The over-representation of Indigenous women in provincial correctional facilities (15.4 times higher than non-Indigenous women) was greater than for Indigenous men (8.4 times higher), in 2020/2021.
• In the three correctional services programs for which data are available, bail was used more frequently than remand for non-Indigenous persons. The ratio between average counts for bail and remand was 4.9 (that is for everyone one person in remand, almost 5 people were on bail), compared to 2.6 for the Indigenous population.