Canada Sees Decline in Inmate Population Due to Pandemic Measures

Canada Sees Decline in Inmate Population Due to Pandemic Measures
The Bowden Institution medium security facility near Bowden, Alta., on March 19, 2020. The Canadian Press/Jeff Mcintosh
|Updated:

The inmate population dropped by 6,000 across Canada’s correctional institutions in April as governments took measures to contain the spread of COVID-19 in jails, says the latest report from Statistics Canada.

The bulk decline in inmate populations came from provincial and territorial jails, according to the report. Inmate populations decreased by 25 percent from February to April, compared to federal jails which had only a one percent decrease during the same period.