Ontario’s provincial jail system is heading toward its most overcrowded year on record, with remand populations and frequent lockdowns climbing sharply just as federal lawmakers debate tougher bail provisions that could funnel even more accused individuals behind bars. A recent analysis shows that in the first half of 2025, the inmate population averaged 10,800 people, despite the province having only about 8,500 available beds.
One of the most striking findings is the surge in women behind bars: the average number of incarcerated women rose by 38 per cent between 2019 and 2024. Nicole Myers, a criminology scholar at Queen’s University, called the increase “shocking and alarming,” noting that although men still make up most prisoners, women are being held at significantly higher remand rates. While 81 per cent of men were in pre-trial custody last year, more than 85 per cent of women had not been convicted of any offence, and were legally presumed innocent. Data obtained through freedom of information requests. spanning 24 Ontario institutions, shows that 82 per cent of those detained in 2024 were awaiting trial — up from 74 per cent in 2019.
Advocates argue these numbers undermine political claims that Canada’s bail regime is overly permissive. Legal experts and researchers warn that the “jail not bail” push may ultimately backfire, as rights violations tied to crowding, poor conditions, and prolonged lockdowns have already led to cases being stayed and sentences reduced. According to Ontario Crown Attorneys’ Association president Lesley Pasquino, repeated case stays risk eroding public trust in the justice system. Former detainee Sue — a pseudonym used for safety — described degrading and unsafe conditions inside the Ottawa-Carleton Detention Centre, where 87 per cent of inmates were on remand last year. She recounted cold, mould-filled cells, days-long lockdowns, and dormitories packed with women experiencing withdrawal or mental health crises.
Most, she said, were not “evil people” but trauma survivors whose circumstances worsened in custody. Senator Kim Pate emphasized that the true “revolving door” is not among violent offenders, but among women who are Indigenous, poor, or have a history of abuse. She pointed to Vanier Centre for Women — the province’s only women-only jail — which reached an occupancy rate of nearly 156 per cent last June, with 289 inmates crammed into a facility built for 185.
Researchers warn that as Ottawa prepares to tighten access to bail for repeat and violent offenders, overcrowding in Ontario’s jails — already at crisis levels — could escalate further, deepening human-rights concerns and straining a justice system already struggling to uphold due process.
