Young Offenders

Those under 18 who engage in sexting could be found guilty of child pornography-related offences under section 163.1 of the Criminal Code.

The reality is that the law treats certain groups one way, and other groups in another way, and this is a central tenant of the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA): treat children one way, youth another, and adults another.

If a youth is charged with a criminal offence in Canada, the offence would be one found in the Criminal Code. In other words, the offences youth can be charged with are the same as the offences adults can be charged with. The difference is that the procedures to some extent and the sentences to a great extent, will be different for youths. The rules that govern how the criminal justice system handles youths who have been charged with a criminal offence are found in the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA).

You may be a concerned parent doing some on-line research about the legalization of cannabis to get ahead of potential issues arising from this or you may have a child that is already facing cannabis related charges.

Young people under the YCJA have choices that are not available to adults. It is even more important that they have the very best legal advice and support.

Lack of consent forms the heart of any sexual assault case and the Criminal Code sets out the ages below which the alleged victim is deemed to be not consenting to the sexual activity.

Aitken Robertson realizes there is a gap between what Legal Aid covers and what is affordable for most families. We are going to provide legal services to those charged under the Youth Criminal Justice Act but only those who are in Oshawa Court. This program will be limited to only a few files (5) a month, but is our way of giving back to the community.

As a parent you play an extremely important role throughout the progress of your child’s legal matter, but as it is succinctly put on the Government of Canada’s website: “Do not try to fix the problem yourself.”