Facts and Figures

The following facts and figures relate to different areas of concern at the Elizabeth Fry Society of Ottawa. For further information on these topics, see the list of links elsewhere on our website.

Women at Risk

A Local Profile of Women in Conflict with the Law: Pathways to Crime
Findings based on a one-day snapshot of the women at the Ottawa Carleton Detention Centre

Background

On Friday, January 25th 2002, a questionnaire was administered to 15 women at the Ottawa Carleton Detention Centre as part of a research project. The goal of the project was to discover commonalities among the local women in conflict with the law, in order to gain a better understanding of the programming needs of this population.

The following highlights some of the key findings of the project and can be used as a fact sheet for exploring some of the issues faced by local women in conflict with the law.

Demographic Information

The average age of respondents was 36, with ages ranging from 21 to 52 years
67% of respondents had children
40% of the charges laid were for administrative offences such as breaches of probation or undertaking and failures to appear or comply
18% of the charges laid were for property crimes such as break and enter, thefts, robberies, frauds, and possession of a stolen vehicle
18% of the charges laid were for crimes against a person such as assaults and obstructions of justice
12% of the charges were for the possession of an illegal substance
8% of the charges were prostitution-related

Socio-Economic Conditions

60% of the women who participated in the study had not completed highschool
26% of the women had completed College or University courses
45% of the women who had not usually worked in adulthood relied on prostitution for survival
27% of the women who had not usually worked in adulthood relied on other crime for survival
32% of the women in the study did not have stable housing and lived in hotels, shelters, rooming or boarding houses, couch-surfed or lived on the streets

Victimization

Physical violence: 87% of the respondents had been the target of physical violence at some point in their lives
Sexual abuse: 67% of the respondents had been the target of sexual abuse or a sexual attack at some point in their lives
Emotional or verbal abuse: 73% of the respondents had been the target of emotional or verbal abuse at some point in their lives

Substance Use

67% of the women indicated that drugs and alcohol were a factor in their getting into trouble with the law
Women were often under the influence of drugs or alcohol when the crime was committed
Crimes were often committed to support a drug or alcohol addiction

Mental Health Issues

60% of the women had experienced depressive symptoms
60% of the women had experienced insomnia
47% of the women had experienced anxiety
27% of the women had experienced eating disorders
27% of the women had experienced suicidal thoughts
67% of the women had experienced more than one of these conditions

A Local Profile of Women in Conflict with the Law: Pathways to Crime: Findings based on a one-day snapshot of the women at the Ottawa Carleton Detention Centre. January 25th, 2002. Prepared by Tonia Dawson and Cheryl Tschupruk, M.S.W. Students, Carleton University of Social Work.