Adult Correctional Services (ACS)

Average daily inmate cost of correctional services, value

Average daily inmate cost refers to the cost per day of keeping a person in custody. It is calculated by dividing annual institutional operating expenditures by the total days stayed by all inmates held in custody (sentenced, remand or other temporary detention) during the year. Institutional operating expenditures include salaries and wages, professional services, and other operating expenditures associated with running a correctional institution (prison). Capital expenditures are not included. The administration of adult correctional services in Canada is a shared responsibility of the federal and provincial/territorial governments.

Correctional services refers to a program with two main goals:

1. To ensure community safety by detaining or otherwise managing those who may have harmed other people's interests.

2. To help offenders safely and successfully reintegrate into the community.

These programs consist of custodial services (e.g. sentenced custody and remand) and community supervision services (e.g. probation and parole).

The data for this variable are reported using the following measurements:

• Canadian dollar at constant prices for a specific reference year
• Canadian dollar at current prices