An inmate is incarcerated in an institution run either by the federal government or the provincial government.

Provincial/territorial correctional facilities hold people who have been sentenced to less than two years in custody, hold people who have been denied bail and are awaiting trial or sentencing. Pre-trial holding cells (remand centres) have few resources, may be overcrowded and have frequent lockdowns. Persons who are incarcerated here may be sent to another provincial jail and then brought back for their trial or sentencing.

Federal correctional facilities, which are the responsibility of the Correctional Service of Canada, deal with people who have been sentenced to two years or more in custody. Federal prisons offer programming, give inmates opportunities for employment and are generally better resourced than provincial institutions.