Sexual Coercion and Violence in Federal Custody: Fiscal Year 2023 to 2024

Research in brief highlights: Certain subgroups, including Indigenous offenders, women, and gender diverse persons are overrepresented in reported incidents of Sexual Coercion and Violence (SCV).

Number: RIB-24-13

Date: 2025

Alternative format:

Why we did this study

The implementation of Commissioner’s Directive (CD) 574 on Sexual Coercion and Violence within the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) established a zero tolerance strategy to prevent, identify, respond to, investigate, and monitor allegations of sexual coercion and violence (SCV) in federal custody. 

What we did

Reported allegations of SCV in fiscal year 2023 to 2024 were identified through a data extraction of CSC’s computerized database, the Offender Management System (OMS), as well as a review of other incident data (for example, Warden Situation Reports, Duty Reports). Information was collected pertaining to the nature and circumstances of the SCV incident and the profile of offenders involved. Although reported in fiscal year 2023 to 2024, not all alleged incidents occurred in this period (for example, some were historical cases).

What we found

In fiscal year 2023 to 2024, there were 166 allegations of offender-on-offender SCV reported in federal custody. By comparison, the reported number was 137 in fiscal year 2022 to 2023, and 39 in fiscal year 2021 to 2022.^{Footnote 1}  Cases were most common in the Ontario region (28%), followed by the Prairie (24%) and Quebec (22%) regions; 13% occurred in the Atlantic region and 14% in the Pacific region (regional variation is largely shaped by regional size differences; see Table 1). Most incidents involved a single instigator. While assaultive actions varied, the most common type of assaultive action reported was unwanted touching, which remains consistent with previous reporting periods.

Among both alleged instigators and victims, there was overrepresentation of Indigenous offenders. Specifically, Indigenous offenders accounted for 44% of unique ^{Footnote 2}  instigators and 47% of unique victims (Indigenous representation in the federal in-custody population is 33% ^{Footnote 3} ). Men accounted for the majority of instigators and victims; however, women and gender diverse persons were overrepresented in incidents (as both instigators and victims) relative to their in-custody representation.  

Instigators and victims of SCV incidents were most often classified as medium security (63% for both groups). Over one-third of instigators and victims were serving a sentence involving a sexual offence conviction (37% for both groups). Over half of instigators (51%) and victims (64%) had documented histories of sexual victimization, while the vast majority (81% of instigators and 88% of victims) had documented mental health concerns. Over a quarter of offenders (29% of instigators and 26% of victims) had previously been involved in SCV incidents in federal custody.

What it means

The implementation of CD 574 corresponded with an increase in reported allegations of SCV, reflecting a changing reporting landscape intended to facilitate disclosure and standardization in staff responses to allegations of sexual victimization. Though somewhat higher, the number of incidents reported in the fiscal year 2023 to 2024 fiscal year were consistent with the increase observed the previous fiscal year. Overrepresentation in reported incidents relative to the overall in custody population remains evident with respect to Indigenous offenders, women, and gender diverse offenders.

For more information

Please e-mail the Research Branch. You can also visit the Research Publications section for a full list of reports and one-page summaries.

Prepared by: Jessica Lundy, Andrew Woodard, and Laura McKendy