Revisiting the conditional sentence of imprisonment after 20 years: Is community custody now an endangered species?

The conditional sentence of imprisonment (CSI) is a novel form of custody that was created by Bill C-41 in 1996. Among other important objectives, it was introduced to reduce admissions to provincial correctional facilities. This article builds upon previous research to explore the use and impact of the CSI over its 21-year history. Trends over the period 1996-2016 suggest that the CSI has modestly contributed to reducing custodial admissions, although the effect has been variable across jurisdictions. The greatest impacts were observed during the early years of its existence. Legislative amendments that have since restricted its availability appear to have diminished much of that early success. Consequently, we advocate reform by identifying a number of strategies that could help to restore the sanction.