NCJ Number
139222
Journal
Canadian Journal of Criminology Volume: 34 Issue: 3-4 Dated: special issue (July-October 1992) Pages: 517-521
Date Published
1992
Length
5 pages
Annotation
Because statistics on aboriginal offenders clearly indicate an overrepresentation in Canada's prison system, this study obtained preliminary data on the characteristics of aboriginal recidivists.
Abstract
Data on 282 male aboriginal offenders were obtained from a Federal data base containing sociodemographic and criminal history information. The average age of offenders at the time of incarceration was 26.7 years. Only 8 percent were first offenders, and 16 percent were first incarcerates. Property-related crimes constituted the most frequent reason for incarceration. Nearly one-third (31.6 percent) had break and enter offenses, while 26.2 percent had other property-related offenses. Person-related offenses were committed by 31.6 percent of the inmates. The average sentence length was 41.8 months. The overall recidivism rate for the sample was 66 percent. Only five variables showed significant predictive validity for estimating recidivism: offense type, prior conviction, prior incarceration, age at first conviction, and sentence length. Most offenders (95.4 percent) were released under some form of supervision. Of this group, 211 were released under mandatory supervision and 58 received full parole. Offenders granted full parole demonstrated significantly lower recidivism than those released under mandatory supervision. It is concluded that knowing dynamic offender characteristics may permit interventions to decrease the probability of recidivism. 11 references, 1 note, and 1 table