There are only about 358 women serving federal sentences in prison (485 are under community supervision or on bail),⁹ as compared to approximately 12,430 men.¹⁰ Aboriginal women are highly over-represented in federal prisons, comprising 27 percent of FSW in prison,¹¹ while only representing 2.8% of the total population of women in Canada.¹² The disturbing fact is that this proportion has almost doubled since the 1990 Task Force on Federally Sentenced Women expressed grave concerns regarding Aboriginal over-representation. The reality that Aboriginal women are the fastest growing sector of FSW prisoners is even more disturbing when one considers CSC’s projections that the population of FSW prisoners will rise to 449 by December 2004.¹³

Justice Arbour and many academic commentators have highlighted the fact that the female prison population is not homogenous.¹⁴ Therefore, attention needs to be paid to women’s unique needs, cultural backgrounds, and social histories:

…two-thirds of federally sentenced women are mothers, and 70% of these are single parents all or part of the time; 68% of federally sentenced women were physically abused; although this figure jumps to 90% for Aboriginal women; 53% of federally sentenced women were sexually abused and 61% of Aboriginal women were sexually abused; fewer than one-third had any formal job qualifications beyond basic education prior to sentence, and two-thirds had never had steady employment.¹⁵