Pubdate: Thu, 12 Oct 2006
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Copyright: 2006 The Ottawa Citizen
Contact:  http://www.canada.com/ottawa/ottawacitizen/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326
Author: Meagan Fitzpatrick

REPORT DETAILS INCREASE IN PRISONERS HELD ON REMAND

WINNIPEG - Canada's provincial prison population has shifted 
dramatically over the last decade according to new numbers released 
yesterday by Statistics Canada, with fewer people sentenced to jail 
time and more in temporary custody.

For the first time, in 2004-'05 the number of adults held on remand 
or other temporary detention and the number of sentenced offenders 
were virtually equal.

On an average day, about 9,800 adults were being held in sentenced 
custody in provincial or territorial jails and slightly more -- 
9,900, -- were being held while awaiting trial, sentencing or another 
form of temporary detention.

It was different picture 10 years earlier, when the number of adults 
on remand accounted for only 28 per cent of the total number behind 
bars. But since 1995-'96, remand counts have risen 83 per cent, 
Statistics Canada reports.

The trend is discouraging, says Graham Stewart, executive director of 
the John Howard Society of Canada, a research and advocacy 
organization focused on the justice system.

"I would like to see a serious national review of the use of remand 
in Canada, to get a handle on it," Mr. Stewart said in an interview.

He said people are supposed to be presumed innocent until proven 
guilty and should only be held in custody if certain criteria are 
met, such as when the person poses a risk to public safety.

Mr. Stewart thinks the criteria have changed over the years and 
remand is being used inappropriately.

While the population in remand custody grows, the number of sentenced 
offenders in provincial or territorial jails has been going down.

The average number of sentenced offenders in 2004-'05 was 31-per-cent 
below the level a decade earlier.

Statistics Canada attributes the shifting composition of the 
provincial prison population to several factors.

For one, the agency says changes in bail practices and policies could 
affect the probability of bail being denied, which in turn increases 
the remand population.

"Cases in Canada's adult criminal courts have also become more 
complex and are taking more time to resolve, increasing the length of 
stay for adults in remand while they await trial and/or sentencing," 
the report stated as further explanation.

Not only are more people being held in remand, but they are being 
held longer, which is the main reason behind the growing population 
of adults in remanded detention.

The conditional sentencing option has also been a factor in the 
shifting prison population, Statistics Canada said, contributing to 
fewer people in sentenced custody. Some offenders who would have 
otherwise been admitted to serve their sentence in jail instead 
served a conditional sentence in the community.
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