Carceral Depopulation in Canada During the COVID-19 Pandemic

  * Updated: 2 August 2021 at 11:20am EDT *

Overall *

Pre-pandemic | February 2020 = 37,976
June 2020 = 30,580 (-19.5% pre-pandemic levels)

September 2020 = 32,141 (-15.4% pre-pandemic levels)

October 2020 = 32,259 (-15.1% pre-pandemic levels)

November 2020 = 32,525 (-14.4% pre-pandemic levels)

December 2020 = 31,981 (-15.8% pre-pandemic levels)
2021 = to be compiled once data is available from all jurisdictions

* February to December 2020 data compiled by Statistics Canada (8 July 2021)

Correctional Service Canada | Federal

Pre-pandemic | February 2020 = 13,891

June 2020 = 13,141 (-5% pre-pandemic levels)

September 2020 = 12,761 (-8.1 pre-pandemic levels)

October 2020 = 12,652 (-8.9% pre-pandemic levels)

November 2020 = 12,664 (-8.8% pre-pandemic levels)

December 2020 = 12,592 (-9.4% pre-pandemic levels)

11 January 2021 = 12,500 (-10% pre-pandemic levels)

24 May 2021 = 12,025 (-13.4% pre-pandemic levels)

Newfoundland and Labrador | Provincial

Pre-pandemic | February 2020 = 310

June 2020 = 187 (-40% pre-pandemic levels)

September 2020 = 332 (+7.1% pre-pandemic levels)

October 2020 = 346 (+11.6% pre-pandemic levels)

November 2020 = 337 (+8.7% pre-pandemic levels)

December 2020 = 350 (+12.9% pre-pandemic levels)
2021 = not publicly disclosed

Prince Edward Island | Provincial

Pre-pandemic | February 2020 = 114

June 2020 = 94 (-17% pre-pandemic levels)

September 2020 = 115 (+0.9% pre-pandemic levels)

October 2020 = 118 (+3.5% pre-pandemic levels) 

November 2020 = 122 (+7% pre-pandemic levels) 

December 2020 = 123 (+7.9% pre-pandemic levels) 
15 March 2021 = 93 (-18.4% pre-pandemic levels)

Nova Scotia | Provincial

Pre-pandemic | February 2020 = 440

June 2020 = 268 (-39% pre-pandemic levels)

September 2020 = 325 (-26.1% pre-pandemic levels)

October 2020 = 344 (-21.8% pre-pandemic levels) 

November 2020 = 341 (-22.5% pre-pandemic levels) 

December 2020 = 318 (-27.7% pre-pandemic levels) 

10 January 2021 = 334 (-24.1% pre-pandemic levels)

22 March 2021 = 353 (-19.8% pre-pandemic levels)

7 May 2021 = "over 350" (approx. -19.8% pre-pandemic levels)

New Brunswick | Provincial

Pre-pandemic | February 2020 = 450

June 2020 = 358 (-20% pre-pandemic levels)

September 2020 = 417 (-7.3% pre-pandemic levels)

October 2020 = 412 (-8.4% pre-pandemic levels) 

November 2020 = 425 (-5.5% pre-pandemic levels) 

December 2020 = 405 (-10% pre-pandemic levels) 

2021 = not publicly disclosed

Quebec | Provincial

Pre-pandemic | February 2020 = 4,381

June 2020 = 3,512 (-19.8% pre-pandemic levels)

September 2020 = 3,504 (-20% pre-pandemic levels)

October 2020 = 3,617 (-17.4% pre-pandemic levels) 

November 2020 = 3,670 (-16.2% pre-pandemic levels) 

December 2020 = 3,627 (-17.2% pre-pandemic levels) 

15 March 2021 = 3,695 (-15.6% pre-pandemic levels)

22 March 2021 = 3,768 (-14% pre-pandemic levels)

8 June 2021 = 3,658 (-16.5% pre-pandemic levels)

7 July 2021 = 3,722 (-15% pre-pandemic levels)

Ontario | Provincial

Pre-pandemic | February 2020 = 8,269

June 2020 = 5,811 (-30% pre-pandemic levels)

September 2020 = 6,315 (-25.8% pre-pandemic levels)

October 2020 = 6,591 (-20.3% pre-pandemic levels) 

November 2020 = 6,731 (-18.6% pre-pandemic levels) 

December 2020 = 6,724 (-18.7% pre-pandemic levels) 

25 January 2021 = 7,190 (-14.3% pre-pandemic levels) 

2 March 2021 = 7,111 (-14% pre-pandemic levels)

22 March 2021 = 7,131 (-13.8% pre-pandemic levels)

4 May 2021 = 6,887 (-16.7% pre-pandemic levels)

27 May 2021 = 6,794 (-17.8% pre-pandemic levels)

8 June 2021 = 6,827 (-17.4% pre-pandemic levels)

Manitoba | Provincial

Pre-pandemic | February 2020 = 2,238

June 2020 = 1,688 (-23% pre-pandemic levels)

September 2020 = 1,804 (-19.4% pre-pandemic levels)

October 2020 = 1,797 (-19.7% pre-pandemic levels) 

November 2020 = 1,732 (-22.6% pre-pandemic levels) 

December 2020 = 1,619 (-27.7% pre-pandemic levels) 

2021 = not publicly disclosed

Saskatchewan | Provincial

Pre-pandemic | February 2020 = 1,984

June 2020 = 1,527 (-23% pre-pandemic levels)

September 2020 = 1,771 (-10.7% pre-pandemic levels)

October 2020 = 1,812 (-8.7% pre-pandemic levels) 

November 2020 = 1,835 (-7.5% pre-pandemic levels) 

December 2020 = 1,672 (-15.7% pre-pandemic levels) 

1 January 2021 = 1,631 (-17.8% pre-pandemic levels) 

Alberta | Provincial

Pre-pandemic | February 2020 = 3,384

June 2020 = 2,370 (-30% pre-pandemic levels)

September 2020 = 2,582 (-23.7% pre-pandemic levels)

October 2020 = 2,750 (-18.7% pre-pandemic levels) 

November 2020 = 2,831 (-16.3% pre-pandemic levels) 

December 2020 = 2,787 (-17.6% pre-pandemic levels) 

10 March 2021 = 2,932 (-13.4% pre-pandemic levels)

4 June 2021 = 2,925 (-13.5% pre-pandemic levels) 

British Columbia | Provincial

Pre-pandemic | February 2020 = 2,193

June 2020 = 1,474 (-33% pre-pandemic levels)

September 2020 = 1,445 (-34.1% pre-pandemic levels)

October 2020 = 1,507 (-31.3% pre-pandemic levels) 

November 2020 = 1,543 (-29.6% pre-pandemic levels) 

December 2020 = 1,485 (-32.3% pre-pandemic levels) 

22 January 2021 = 1,550 (-29.3% pre-pandemic levels)

Nunavut | Territorial

Pre-pandemic | February 2020 = 122

June 2020 = 118 (-3.3% pre-pandemic levels)

September 2020 = 151 (+23.8% pre-pandemic levels)

October 2020 = 151 (+23.8% pre-pandemic levels)

November 2020 = 143 (+17.2% pre-pandemic levels) 

December 2020 = 144 (+18% pre-pandemic levels) 

2021 = not publicly disclosed

Northwest Territories | Territorial

Pre-pandemic | February 2020 = 143

June 2020 = 112 (-21.7% pre-pandemic levels)

September 2020 = 107 (-25.2% pre-pandemic levels)

October 2020 = 105 (-26.6% pre-pandemic levels) 

November 2020 = 98 (-31.5% pre-pandemic levels) 

December 2020 = 94 (-34.3% pre-pandemic levels) 

2021 = not publicly disclosed

Yukon | Territorial

Pre-pandemic | February 2020 = 56

June 2020 = 39 (-30.4% pre-pandemic levels)

September 2020 = 55 (-1.8% pre-pandemic levels)

October 2020 = 57 (+1.8% pre-pandemic levels) 

November 2020 = 53 (-5.4% pre-pandemic levels) 

December 2020 = 41 (-26.8% pre-pandemic levels) 

2021 = not publicly disclosed

RESEARCH PROJECT AND FUNDING 

The preliminary findings above were compiled as part of the "COVID-19: Investigating Canada's Carceral Response to the Coronavirus through the Prison Pandemic Partnership" (principal investigator: Kevin Walby, PhD - uWinnipeg | co-investigator: Justin Piché, PhD - uOttawa | partner organization: Canadian Civil Liberties Association) project funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. The partnership project is housed within the Centre for Access to Information and Justice at the University of Winnipeg. Researchers, journalists, policymakers and practitioners using the data presented above are invited to contact justin.piche@uottawa.ca should they have additional data, find any errors or have any questions.