Prison inmates in Canada are now just as likely to be awaiting trial as serving a jail sentence for a serious crime, according to Statistics Canada.

Figures released Wednesday show an 83 per cent increase in prisoners on remand or other forms of temporary custody over the past decade, while the number of sentenced offenders in jail cells has declined by more than a third.

Statistics Canada says the trend could be a result of tougher requirements for granting bail, more complex criminal trials taking longer to resolve and the increasing use of conditional sentencing, where offenders serve their time at home in the community rather than prison.

The John Howard Society, which campaigns for reform of the justice system, says the new statistics indicate "a huge problem."

Graham Stewart, the group's executive director, told CBC News that people were now effectively serving criminal sentences even before they had been tried.

"This is a denial of the presumption of innocence," he said, "It is an offence to basic justice to lock so many people up before their trial."

Long periods of time spent on remand subvert the court system, Stewart said, because judges often release convicted offenders for time already served. 

Stewart said proposed legislation introduced in the House of Commons last May will make the situation even worse. The bill would broaden the number of crimes that carry a mandatory minimum sentence and restrict the use of house arrest and community service.