Author: Elizabeth Comack
Despite declining crime rates, remand numbers across Canada are increasing. There are now more adults in provincial lockups on remand — i.e. not proven guilty of an offence — than have been sentenced. Manitoba has one of the highest remand rates. In 2014/15, 67 percent of adults admitted to provincial custody in Manitoba were being held on remand; Indigenous people represented 70 per cent of that population. Most criminal cases are concluded with a finding of guilt. But very few cases actually go to trial. Researchers have found that Indigenous people are more likely to plead guilty than are non-Indigenous people, and women plead guilty at a higher rate than men.
Read the full report here: Why_the_Pain_for_Women_in_Jails
Elizabeth’s book, Coming Back to Jail: Women, Trauma, and Criminalization, will be launched at McNally Robinson Booksellers Grant Park on Thursday, June 7 at 7 pm.