Prison overcrowding has negative impacts on the system's ability to provide humane, safe and secure custody. It is well documented that overcrowding in prison can lead to increased levels of tension and violence, and can jeopardize the safety of staff and inmates.
When correctional populations significantly increase, timely and comprehensive access to offender programs, treatment and meaningful employment opportunities measurably diminish, resulting in delays for safe reintegration into the community.
The Office of the Correctional Investigator is also concerned about the differential impacts that Bill C-59 will have on specific populations, namely Aboriginal offenders and women offenders. The over-representation of Aboriginal people in Canada's prisons and penitentiaries is well known. Nationally, Aboriginal people are less than 4% of the Canadian population, but comprise almost 20% of the total federal prison population. For women, this over-representation is even more dramatic — they represent 33% of women in federal penitentiaries. The grant rate for day parole APR, or day parole at one sixth, is already significantly lower for Aboriginal offenders compared to the overall grant rate — 39% versus 63%.
The Office is also concerned about the potential impact on the women offender population. In the last 10 years, from 2000 to 2010, the number of women admitted to federal custody increased by 35%. The grant rate for APR — day parole at 1/6th of the sentence — is very good at 89%. Denying access to APR will have a more significant impact on women than men.