News, research and resources
Find out more about how the Government of Canada and the Department of Justice are transforming the criminal justice system with the following information and resources.
Online reports
Justice Canada research reports that deal with a range of subjects impacting the transformation
- JustFacts: Offences Subject to a Mandatory Minimum Penalty
- JustFacts: Child-Related Sexual Offences Subject to a Mandatory Minimum Penalty
- JustFacts: Drug Offences Subject to a Mandatory Minimum Penalty
- JustFacts: Firearm-Related Offences Subject to a Mandatory Minimum Penalty
- JustFacts : Preliminary Inquiries
- JustFacts : Jordan: Statistics Related to Delay in the Criminal Justice System
- JustFacts: Sentencing in Canada
- JustFacts: Indigenous overrepresentation in the criminal justice system
- The Canadian Criminal Justice System: Overall Trends and Key Pressure Points
- “Moving Towards a Minimalist and Transformative Criminal Justice System”: Essay on the Reform of the Objectives and Principles of Sentencing - Marie-Eve Sylvestre
- Reform of the Purposes and Principles of Sentencing: A Think Piece - Benjamin L. Berger
- A Values and Evidence Approach to Sentencing Purposes and Principles - Anthony N. Doob
- An opinion on reform changes with respect to the principles and purposes of sentencing - Leslie Dunning
- A Review of the Principles and Purposes of Sentencing in Sections 718-718.21 of the Criminal Code - Gerry Ferguson
- JustFacts: Indigenous overrepresentation in provincial/territorial corrections
- Exemptions from Mandatory Minimum Penalties - Recent Developments in Selected Countries - Yvon Dandurand
News releases
- October 16, 2017 - New Funding: Reintegration Support and Incarceration Alternatives for Indigenous Offenders
- September 15, 2017 - Justice and Public Safety Ministers conclude two days of meetings on shared justice and security priorities
- June 15, 2017 - Statement by Minister Wilson-Raybould on passage of Bill C-16 in Senate and moving one step closer to ending discrimination based on gender identity or expression
- June 14, 2017 - Statement by Minister Wilson-Raybould on Senate Committee report on delays in Canadian court system
- June 6, 2017 - Government of Canada takes further steps to modernize the Criminal Code, strengthen sexual assault provisions, and show how new laws respect the Charter
- April 28, 2017 - Justice Ministers make progress on key issues related to delays in the criminal justice system
- April 26, 2017 - Government of Canada announces measures to combat gender-based violence
- April 25, 2017 - Support for victim services in Newfoundland and Labrador
- April 24, 2017 - Improving Services for Victims of Sexual Assault in Northwestern New Brunswick
- April 18, 2017 - Support for public education of sexual violence crimes in Nova Scotia
- March, 31, 2017 - Support for Victims and Survivors of Sexualized Violence in Nova Scotia
- March 8, 2017 - Government of Canada takes important step to modernize the Criminal Code
- March 8, 2017 - Improving the reporting, charging and prosecution of sexual assaults against adults
- February 9, 2017 - Government of Canada introduces legislation to strengthen human trafficking laws
- January 26, 2017 - Integrated Care for Victims and Survivors of Sexual Assault
- November 15, 2016 - Improving Services for Victims of Crime in the Northwest Territories
- October 31, 2016 - Government of Canada supports gathering of families of missing and murdered indigenous women in Quebec
- October 21, 2016 - Minister of Justice announces changes to the federal victim surcharge provisions
- October 12, 2016 - Improving Access to Services for Victims of Crime in Nova Scotia
- October 11, 2016 - Improving Access to Services for Victims of Crime in New Brunswick
- August 8, 2016 - Improving Access to Services for Victims of Crime in Prince Edward Island
Speeches
- July 17, 2017 - Celebration and Reconciliation: Canada 150
- March 22, 2017 - Finding Solutions: Improving the Reporting, Charging and Prosecution of Sexual Assaults against Adults
- March 20, 2017 - Patriation, the Recognition of Rights and Reconciliation
- February 15, 2017 - Investing in Canada’s Future: The Next 150 Years
- November 9, 2016 - John Sopinka, the Charter and the Evolution of Canada's Justice System
- August 8, 2016 - National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls
Reports by request
To receive copies of the following reports, please send an email to rsd-drs@justice.gc.ca.
- National Justice Survey 2016: Canada's Criminal Justice System
See summary/Request the report
The National Justice Survey 2016 focuses on the criminal justice system (CJS) to inform the current criminal justice system review and engage with adults 18+ from across Canada.
Specifically, this nationally representative research involved a traditional public opinion research survey, in informed choice survey and in person and online focus groups. The purpose of this research was to explore Canadians' views perceptions and expectations for the CJS, the values they want it to reflect, objectives of the criminal justice system, and priorities and concerns with respect to criminal justice issues. This work was undertaken to support reforms and new initiatives in this area. A full report and data tables are now available.
- Mandatory Minimum Penalties in Canada: Analysis and Annotated Bibliography - Kyle Coady and Kari Glynes Elliott
See summary/Request the report
This document summarizes core findings on Mandatory Minimum Penalties (MMPs) in Canada. Information and evidence are drawn from refereed publications and journals, policy/position papers, and key monographs; these publications focus on the Canadian MMP experience. This paper reviews core research findings and ideas on MMPs in Canada by showing how they are defined, their history, how they are used, and how they impact key legal system players in the sentencing process.
- "Broken Bail" in Canada: How We Might Go About Fixing It - Cheryl Marie Webster
See summary/Request the report
This study explores the phenomenon of Canada's "broken bail system", which the author identifies as not only the bail process (i.e. the criminal procedure of determining whether an accused detained by the police will be released or formally detained until trial) but also remand (i.e. the detention of these accused in provincial/territorial custody awaiting either a bail determination or, having forgone or been denied bail, the resolution of their court case).
- The Mentally Ill: How They Became Enmeshed in the Criminal Justice System and How We Might Get Them Out - The Hon. Mr. Justice Richard D. Schneider
See summary/Request the report
This report discusses how individuals with mental illness become involved in the criminal justice system and presents strategies to reduce their over-representation
- Building Legal Literacy, Preventing Crisis - Sarah McCoubrey
See summary/Request the report
A report that focuses on improving legal literacy to improve access to justice and develop trust in the criminal justice system.
- Police and Judicial Detention and Release Characteristics: Data from the Justice Effectiveness Study - Karen Beattie, André Solecki and Kelly E. Morton Bourgon
See summary/Request the report
The purpose of this research is to provide information regarding the detention and release practices of police and of the court, while also providing data on the characteristics of accused subject to these decisions.
- Date modified: