This information is taken from Canadian Criminal Justice: A Primer (1997).
Most offenders (97.7%) are male.
The majority of inmates are young; 62% are between 20 and 34 years of age.
Most are either single or have been living common law; less than 10% are married.
60% of the male offenders and nearly 70% of female offenders have children or step-children.
The majority of offenders have low levels of formal education and few employment skills.
Many inmates have alcohol and substance abuse problems.
Indigenous offenders are over-represented;
they make up 12% of the population in male institutions and 18% in the women’s prisons.
This over-representation is most pronounced in the Prairie region where Indigenous males constitute 37% and Indigenous females 51% of federal institutional populations.
Black offenders are over-represented;
Black males constitute 5% and Black females 7% of federal institution populations.
Although the majority of inmates are serving sentences of less than six years, nearly 25% are serving sentences of ten years or more, including life and indeterminate sentences.
Mennonite Central Committee Canada. (2011). Getting through the maze: A guidebook for survivors of homicide.