Charges · Criminal harassment · Alberta
What happens after a criminal harassment charge in Alberta?
What it means, what usually happens next, and what to bring to the first call.
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In short
- A no-contact condition almost always comes with release - and one message, even a friendly one, can be a breach and a new charge.
- In Alberta, the Court of Justice’s domestic abuse courts hear allegations of harassment between intimate partners.
- Police often hold the person for a bail hearing or release them with strict conditions.
What usually happens next
- Step 1
Arrest and the station You have the right to talk to a lawyer in private. You do not have to answer police questions.
- Step 2
Police decide Police can release you with conditions and a court date, or hold you for a bail hearing.
What should you bring to the first call?
How it works in Alberta
Which court hears it in Alberta
Alberta criminal harassment charges are heard in the Alberta Court of Justice. Its domestic abuse courts, in Calgary, Edmonton, Lethbridge and Grande Prairie, hear violence between intimate partners, including allegations of harassment.
Bail in Alberta
After a harassment arrest in Alberta, release is decided by a justice of the peace over video or phone, with a Crown prosecutor speaking and duty counsel available. Alberta notes the arrested person may speak to a lawyer first; with no decision, the matter moves to the next Court of Justice date.
Programs and diversion in Alberta
Alberta’s domestic abuse courts say they use monitoring and counselling as well as ordinary sanctions. Calgary’s domestic violence docket is courtroom 508; Edmonton’s is courtroom 268.
The local process in Alberta
Alberta prosecutes harassment where conviction is reasonably likely and the case serves the public interest. If a justice refuses bail, Legal Aid Alberta asks the person to phone in to apply for legal aid; a duty counsel lawyer is free over the phone at any hour.
What do people ask about criminal harassment charges?
Do I have to talk to the police?
No - a person does not have to answer police questions, and anyone arrested or detained has the right to speak to a lawyer, and police must tell them that.
What is the maximum penalty for criminal harassment?
Under s. 264 of the Criminal Code, criminal harassment is up to ten years by indictment, or it can be prosecuted summarily.
Sources
Alberta sources
- Alberta Court of Justice, history of the court, accessed October 8, 2026
- Alberta Court of Justice, Domestic Abuse Courts, accessed October 15, 2026
- Alberta, justice of the peace bail hearings, accessed October 14, 2026
- Alberta Court of Justice, Calgary location, accessed October 8, 2026
- Alberta Court of Justice, Edmonton location, accessed October 8, 2026
- Alberta, criminal prosecutions, accessed October 15, 2026
- Legal Aid Alberta, adult criminal law, accessed October 15, 2026
- Alberta Court of Justice, accessed October 15, 2026
- Alberta Crown Prosecution Service, accessed October 15, 2026
- Government of Alberta — renaming the provincial court (3 Oct 2022), accessed October 15, 2026
- Legal Aid Alberta — contact, accessed October 15, 2026
Federal law sources
- Criminal Code (Canada), s. 264, accessed October 15, 2026
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