Federally Sentenced Women

There are over 500 federally sentenced women offenders incarcerated in the five multilevel regional women's facilities and one Aboriginal Healing Lodge. Approximately 550 women offenders are under some form of community release supervision. In the last ten years, the number of women admitted to federal jurisdiction has increased by almost 40%. Women offenders now account for close to 5% of the total offender population. It is a growing and increasingly complex and diverse population.

Fully one-third of the incarcerated women offender population is Aboriginal - First Nations, Métis or Inuit. Between 2001-2002 and 2011-2012 the Aboriginal women inmate population has increased by 109%. In fact, Aboriginal women represent the fastest growing offender category under federal jurisdiction.

Issues of Concern

• Programming for federally sentenced women
• Impacts of crowding at the regional women's facilities
• Management of 'high needs' women offenders
• Self-injurious behaviour in women offenders
• Profile of federally sentenced women
• Governance and accountability of women's corrections
• Classification of women offenders

Reports & Recommendations

• Annual Report 2014-2015 (HTML) (PDF, 2mb)
  • Federally Sentenced Women
• Annual Report 2013-2014 (HTML) (PDF, 5mb)
  • Federally Sentenced Women
• Annual Report 2012-2013 (HTML) (PDF, 744kb)
  • VI. Federally Sentenced Women
• Risky Business: An Investigation of the Treatment and Management of Chronic Self-Injury Among Federally Sentenced Women
  Final Report (HTML) (PDF, 353kb)
  
  • News Release (HTML)
  • Backgrounder (HTML)
• Annual Report 2011-2012 (HTML) (PDF, 1.4mb)
  • Federally Sentenced Women - OCI Recommendations & CSC Responses
• Annual Report 2010-2011 (HTML) (PDF, 2.1mb)
  • Federally Sentenced Women - OCI Recommendations & CSC Responses
• Annual Report 2009-2010 (HTML) (PDF, 2mb)
  • Federally Sentenced Women - OCI Recommendations & CSC Responses
• Annual Report 2008-2009 (HTML) (PDF, 2mb)
  • Federally Sentenced Women - OCI Recommendations & CSC Responses
• A Preventable Death (June 2008) (HTML) (PDF, 112kb)
  • Backgrounder: A Preventable Death (HTML)

In the Media

• Women Behind Bars: Canada's only female dangerous offender, Calgary Herald (May 25, 2012)
  
  
• Women Behind Bars: A baby's home behind the barbed wire, Calgary Herald (May 25, 2012)
  
  
• Gangs starting to 'infect' women's prisons, Calgary Herald (October 15, 2011)
  
  
• After an inmate's release, the struggle begins, Calgary Herald (October 14, 2011)
  
  
• Parole change keeps 100 women in prison, CBC (June 23, 2011)
  
  
• Prisons to end rare solitary-confinement protocol for women, Postmedia News (March 14, 2011)
  
  
• System for imprisoned women broken: critics, APTN (January 31, 2011)
  
  
• Prisons grapple with increase in mentally ill female inmates, Globe & Mail (January 26, 2011)
  
  
• Trouble in the big house: How mandatory minimum sentencing could make it worse for women in prison, Maclean's (January 17, 2011)