NCJ Number
149551
Journal
Forum on Corrections Research Volume: 6 Issue: 2 Dated: May 1994 Pages: 6-9
Date Published
May 1994
Length
4 pages
Annotation
A major survey of persons with disabilities in Canada and an examination of staff and offenders in the Correctional Service of Canada suggest that the provision of specialized or technical aids or services may be one of the new challenges facing Federal corrections.
Abstract
This is becoming particularly evident as the number of offenders serving long-term sentences and the average age of the institutional population continue to rise. In 1991, long-term offenders (10-year sentences or more) represented 26.4 percent of all Federal inmates. More importantly, there was a 41.5-percent increase in the number of long-term offenders under Federal jurisdiction between 1981 and 1991 (from 2,672 to 3,782). Further, an offender population forecast indicates that over the next two decades, the greatest increase in admissions (into the Federal correctional system) will be from the over-40 population. This trend reflects the projected change in the age structure of the Canadian population; the bulk of population growth (from 1991 through 2011) will occur in the over-50 category. Taken together, these leading indicators suggest that the Correctional Service of Canada may need to increase specialized programming and services for offenders with disabilities. 4 tables and 10 notes