Opportunities To Engage & Support
Cost of Incarceration vs. Community Support
It costs
$150.00 to $330.00 per day
to remand or incarcerate a women.
It costs
$54,750 to $120,450 per year
to remand or incarcerate a women.
It costs
$4.80 to $73.42 per day
for EFRY to support women in the community.
It costs
$1,752 to $26,799 per year
for EFRY to support women in the community
Together, we can help to break the cycle of poverty and strengthen our community. Your contributions affect social change by lessening the tax burden of social systems. Our services reduce the costs associated with excessive usage when we are able to intervene and prevent individuals from reengaging in the criminal justice system by ensuring they are engaged with appropriate supports and services.
Individuals who cycle in and out of homelessness and incarceration place a burden on the health, policing, legal and justice systems.
The extra costs associated with the administration of justice offences (AOJO) related to failures to appear in court or comply with court orders, warrants and breaches are reduced by connecting individuals to the right resources to avoid homelessness and reoffending.
Costs of Criminalization without Intervention
Provincial Remand Costs
Most individuals in Alberta cost $150 a day to remand in a provincial institution. Alberta remands 70% more individuals than those sentenced in custody. 30-50% of individuals cycle in and out of homelessness and remand. Those remanded in Calgary made up between 500 to 615 individuals throughout the first quarter of 2020 with an average of 557. The average stay in remand is approximately 28 days (according to Canadian remand data). The average cost for 557 inmates at $150 daily over 28 days is $2,339,400. With an average of 40% of those being homeless, the overall cost of remanding this population is $935,760 over every 28 days or $12,164,880 annually.
Sentenced in Custody
The costs to sentenced individuals costs $150 with approximately three months to two years in custody with an approximate cost of $13,500 to $109,500 per woman depending on sentence. The costs in federal institutions (sentences between two and 25 years) can be much higher reaching between $330 and up to $534 a day depending on level of security.
Legal Costs of Criminalization
AOJO costs the community $13 to $30 million annually. These offences impede the court processes and place an extra burden to clerks, judges, crown and legal counsel. In addition, the cost to address warrants and breaches are a burden on police services which can be reduced by ensuring individuals get to court and comply with their court orders.
Health Costs
Individuals who struggle with stability who cycle in and out of homelessness and the criminal justice system place a burden on the health care system. In particular, 27% of ambulance calls are repeats and responsible for up to 7,500 ambulance calls annually in Calgary. This places a significant cost of $1,687,500 to $2,887,500 annually on the system. 77% of our population who access emergency rooms for medical emergencies are due to neglected health concerns. As a result, approximately 2,240 individuals annually attend a minimum of 4,480 emergency room visits at a cost of $1,510 to $382,400 annually.
Long Term Hospitalization Costs
Individuals who require critical care due to long standing health issues cost the system from $755 to $3,719 a day in Alberta with the average hospital stay of three to 12 days. This costs from $2,265 to $11,157 for three days up to $9,060 to $44,628 for up to 12 days depending on the critical nature of the hospital care.
