NCJ Number
108027
Date Published
1986
Length
84 pages
Annotation
Using data from the Canadian Uniform Crime Reports through 1984 and from the Canadian Urban Victimization Survey of 1982, this report presents statistical data on charges against females, characteristics of female offenders, sentencing, admissions to prison, and criminality among female Indians and other native people in Canada.
Abstract
Three-fourths of the charges against Canadian females are for shoplifting or fraud or for violations or drug or liquor regulations. Statistics also show that Canadian women are economically and socially disadvantaged relative to Canadian men. Future research must focus on the relationship between these offenses and the social and economic status of women in Canadian society. Native women are among the most severely disadvantaged cultural groups in Canada and are vastly overrepresented in crime statistics at every level of the criminal justice system. They are more likely than nonnative women to be charged with crimes of violence and alcohol-related offenses and are more likely to be incarcerated for the inability to pay court-ordered fines. Overall, female offenders increased from 10 percent of the total in 1975 to 13 percent in 1984. Approximately 15 percent of women who are convicted are incarcerated. The small numbers of incarcerated women has led to difficulties in providing a wide range of services to address their special needs. Data tables, footnotes, and 27 references.