Canada’s federal prison system now employs more staff than it houses inmates, according to newly released Correctional Service figures, raising fresh concerns about the soaring cost of the country’s penal system.Blacklock's Reporter says Correctional Service Canada (CSC) reported having more than 20,000 employees, compared to 14,837 inmates held across 43 federal penitentiaries. Another 8,717 individuals are currently on parole in the community. The system operates with a $3.9 billion annual budget.The staffing imbalance comes amid growing scrutiny of Canada’s correctional spending. .A July 8 estimate pegged the daily cost of incarceration at $436 per inmate — an all-time high and a 32% increase since 2019. Despite the costs, prison managers insist the service continues to “achieve positive outcomes for offenders” and maintain “a key role in public safety.”In a transition binder prepared for the public safety minister, officials wrote, “We have an engaged, professional and high-performing workforce that takes pride in changing lives and protecting Canadians.” The payroll includes 6,000 prison guards, 1,400 parole officers, 1,035 nurses, and 600 prison managers.Canada’s Correctional Investigator has previously flagged the system’s high operating costs. .A 2019 report to Parliament noted that with a nearly one-to-one staff-to-inmate ratio, CSC ranks among the most heavily resourced correctional systems in the world. “Today nearly four in ten prisons have more full time employees than inmates,” the report stated. “In some institutions the number of correctional officers alone exceeds the number of inmates.”As of the most recent update, there are 16,382 cells across federal facilities, leaving more than 1,500 empty. In 2024, a government plan to use some of those vacant cells as temporary shelters for illegal immigrants awaiting deportation added an estimated $16 million in annual costs. According to Canada Border Services Agency, additional spending was required to provide “compassionate detention conditions” such as daily access to medical and psychological care.Despite rising expenses and falling inmate populations, Correctional Service leaders continue to defend their approach. “With more than 20,000 employees, the Correctional Service plays a key role in public safety,” said the binder.
