Department of Justice Canada

What we found: Young people noted that the most important factors judges should consider in fair and equitable sentencing are personal circumstances and history of the accused person, and the nature of the crime, including the context, severity and motive for the crime. Ultimately, young people...

Youth want a criminal justice system (CJS) that shows empathy and takes into consideration the circumstances of individuals before and during sentencing. Youth feel that the CJS should use more alternatives to incarceration that are community-based, restorative and place a focus on...

Over half of Canadians indicated that administration of justice offences (AOJOs) would be better dealt with outside of the courts. Canadians also thought an accused person's circumstance should be taken into account in tailoring responses to AOJOs/ What we also found: Three quarters (75%) of...

Canadians are generally supportive of community-based sentencing; many feel that these sentences could have a number of positive impacts from reducing crime and increasing safety to greater efficiency in the criminal justice system. What we also found: After reviewing statistics on...

Young people believed it is very important to measure the performance of the criminal justice system (CJS). They indicated that they wanted to know if the CJS effectively deters crime and keeps Canadians safe, treats people fairly and equitably, and holds offenders accountable for their actions.

Young people are highly aware of the relationship between mental health, addiction, and crime. Youth agree that the Criminal Justice System (CJS) must take a more active role to address mental health issues through programming and services both within and connected to the CJS.

Young people identified overrepresentation of the Indigenous population in Canada’s Criminal Justice System (CJS) as unfair, and largely a result of societal discrimination as well as systemic discrimination in the justice system. They also felt that it was symptomatic of the poverty and...

Reader's Note: This publication presents results of an online public opinion survey completed by a sample of Canadians who received an invitation through email, Facebook and Twitter (called "open link" sample; see method for more details). This survey mirrored a survey conducted with a...

Canadians indicated that they are not very familiar with restorative justice (RJ), but after receiving an explanation, the majority of Canadians support the use of RJ and see the process as an effective way to repair the harms caused by crime. What we also found: Most Canadians (87%) indicated...

Readers Note: This publication presents results of an online public opinion survey completed by a sample of Canadians who received an invitation through email, Facebook and Twitter (called an "open link" sample; see Method for more details). This survey mirrored a survey conducted with a...

Canadians are largely supportive of problem-solving approaches to crime, and most want offenders to have access to initiatives that seek to address the 'root causes' of crime based on an offender's unique needs. What we also found: The majority of Canadians (88%) believe that the criminal...

In general, Canadians are not supportive of the current mandatory minimum penalties (MMPs) regime and prefer a more individualized approach to sentencing. We also found: Most Canadians indicated that they have a low to moderate level of knowledge of MMPs (52% low and 28% moderate). Over three...

Most Canadians believe that diversion of accused from the courts in appropriate cases should be the preferred response to at least some types of offences/situations. They also believe that increased use of diversion could make the criminal justice system (CJS) more efficient and effective and...

The majority of Canadians believe that judges should have at least some degree of discretion and flexibility when deciding a sentence. What we also found: The overwhelming majority of Canadians (95%) felt that the best approach for determining fair and appropriate sentences for offenders...

This research report recommends the adoption of universal family violence screening by family law practitioners. To support this recommendation, it begins by presenting a definition of family violence, then examines common family dynamics where violence is present and the impact of trauma in a...

Restorative Justice (RJ) is an approach to justice that focuses on addressing the harm caused by crime while holding the offender responsible for his or her actions, by providing an opportunity for those directly affected by crime – victims, offenders and communities – to identify and address...

Most Canadians feel that sentencing guidelines are the best way to ensure a fair sentence and they believe that sentencing would be more consistent with such guidelines. Many Canadians also believe that Canada should consider having a sentencing commission, and that most important activity of...

This fact sheet is based on two Canadian publications from 2005 and 2010, publicly available and special request data from the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics at Statistics Canada, and internal research reports prepared by Justice Canada. A preliminary inquiry is a judicial hearing that is...

The focus of this report is on outlining some of the key findings from the body of knowledge of neuroscience, and applying them to the issue of sexual assault and its impacts on victims. More specifically, we review and highlight some of the significant developments, which have emerged from the...

This fact sheet is based on two research publications from the Canadian Centre for Justice Statistics (CCJS) published in 2015 and 2018. In the 2015 Juristat, CCJS linked police-reported data from the Uniform Crime Reporting Survey to court data from the Adult Criminal Court Survey to identify...