Indigenous over-representation in the criminal justice system

Indigenous people are overrepresented in Canada's criminal justice system as both victims and offenders. National data on Indigenous people in the criminal justice system includes data on self-reported victimization , police-reported homicide, and provincial/territorial and federal custody.

In 2014/2015, Indigenous adults accounted for 26% of provincial/territorial custody admissions and 25% of the in-custody federal offender population. The proportion of Indigenous adults in custody was about 9 times higher than their representation in the adult population (3%). Indigenous adults were overrepresented in provincial/territorial custody in most jurisdictions, especially British Columbia , Saskatchewan , Manitoba, and Ontario.

In 2014/2015, Indigenous youth (aged 12-17) accounted for 37% of provincial/territorial custody admissions. The proportion of Indigenous youth in provincial/territorial custody was about 5 times higher than their representation in the youth population ( 7%). Indigenous youth were overrepresented in provincial/territorial custody in most jurisdictions, especially British Columbia, Manitoba, and Ontario.

Data and Resources

Additional Info

Field Value
Last Updated April 17, 2026, 17:56 (UTC)
Created April 17, 2026, 17:56 (UTC)
contact_email OG-GO@justice.gc.ca
criticality_level ["aboriginal_peoples", "general_public", "government", "media", "nongovernmental_organizations"]
geographic_scope []
open_canada_collection publication
open_canada_date_modified 2018-02-14 00:00:00
open_canada_date_published 2017-01-02 00:00:00
open_canada_keywords {"fr": ["Ministère de la Justice", "Accès à l'information", "Système canadien de justice", "criminalité", "Justice Autochtone", "Surreprésentation des Autochtones"], "en": ["Department of Justice", "Access to Information", "Canada's System of Justice", "Criminality", "Indigenous Justice", "Indigenous overrepresentation"]}
open_canada_subject ["law", "persons", "society_and_culture"]
sensitivity_level unrestricted
title_fr Surreprésentation des Autochtones dans le système de justice pénale
update_frequency not_planned