Charges · Youth charges · Ontario
What happens when a young person is charged in Ontario?
What it means, what usually happens next, and what to bring to the first call.
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In short
- When a young person aged 12 to 17 is charged, police and the Crown are expected to consider warnings and extrajudicial measures first, and youth records have strict privacy rules.
- In Ontario, youth cases start in the Ontario Court of Justice, and police must contact a parent or guardian when someone under 18 is arrested.
- A parent is told when a young person is arrested or held.
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 Ontario
Which court hears it in Ontario
Youth charges in Ontario are heard in the Ontario Court of Justice, where Youth Criminal Justice Act charges begin; youth cases are subject to public access restrictions, so they may not appear on the public court lists. Toronto has a specialized Aboriginal Youth Court at 311 Jarvis.
Bail in Ontario
Ontario says that when someone under 18 is arrested, police must contact a parent or guardian. A youth can be detained only where it is necessary for public safety or there is a risk the youth will not come to court.
Programs and diversion in Ontario
Ontario calls diversion before a charge extrajudicial measures, and after a charge extrajudicial sanctions; the local Youth Justice Committee or the ministry runs the sanctions programs. A completed sanction stays on the youth court record for two years.
The local process in Ontario
Legal Aid Ontario pays for a lawyer for anyone aged 12 to 17 charged under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Ontario’s Crown directive (D. 38) says prosecutors must recognize the diminished moral blameworthiness of youth.
What do people ask about youth 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.
Who counts as a young person?
Under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, a young person is someone 12 or older but under 18 at the time of the offence. Someone younger than 12 is a child under the Act.
Sources
Ontario sources
- Ontario Court of Justice, criminal court overview, accessed October 15, 2026
- Ontario Court of Justice, specialized courts, accessed October 15, 2026
- Ontario, youth justice system, accessed October 15, 2026
- Ontario, what to do when a youth has broken the law, accessed October 15, 2026
- Ontario Crown Prosecution Manual, 38(a) Extrajudicial Sanctions, accessed October 15, 2026
- Legal Aid Ontario, criminal legal issues, accessed October 15, 2026
- Ontario Crown Prosecution Manual, D. 38 Youth Criminal Justice, accessed October 15, 2026
- Ontario Court of Justice, accessed October 15, 2026
- Steps to Justice (CLEO), criminal law, accessed October 15, 2026
- Ontario Crown Prosecution Manual — D. 24 Judicial Interim Release (Bail), accessed October 15, 2026
- Legal Aid Ontario, accessed October 15, 2026
Federal law sources
- Youth Criminal Justice Act, accessed October 15, 2026
- Youth Criminal Justice Act, s. 2 and s. 3, accessed October 15, 2026
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