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  • Services
    • Temporary service changes due to COVID-19
    • COVID-19 and the courts: Answers to frequently asked questions
    • Our services
    • Criminal legal issues
    • Domestic violence
    • Family legal issues
    • Mental health legal issues
    • Refugee and immigration legal issues
    • Youth legal issues
    • Legal clinics
    • How to apply
    • Find a lawyer
      • Finding the right legal aid lawyer
    • What do you think about our services?
    • Languages
    • Contact us
  • For legal professionals
    • COVID-19: Ongoing list of supports for lawyers
    • LASA 2020 process updates for lawyers
    • Changes to policies and certificate coverage
    • Roster resources
      • Audit & Compliance
      • Billing
      • Case management
      • Forms library
      • Legal Aid Services Act, 2020 policies
      • Legal Aid Online
      • LAO LAW
      • Minimum experience requirements
      • More resources
    • Do legal aid work
    • Mentoring
    • Test case funding
    • News for lawyers
    • B3 Newsletters
    • Contacts for lawyers
  • Corporate
    • About
      • By-laws
      • Our clients
      • Board of Directors
      • Executive Team
      • Board Advisory Committees
      • Sidney B. Linden Access to Justice Award
      • French Language Services
    • Legal Aid Services Act, 2020
      • LASA 2020 Rules and Policies
      • LASA 2020 glossary
    • Consultations
    • LAO Consultation Registry
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    • Publications
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  • FAQ

Youth (criminal)

Important notice:
Some of our services have temporarily changed due to the COVID‑19 crisis. The information provided on this page may no longer be accurate. Please visit our COVID‑19 client or COVID-19 FAQS criminal page to learn how this may impact you.

Are you between 12 and 17? Have the police charged you with a crime? You, your parents or your legal guardian can call us. If you qualify, we will help pay for a lawyer to represent you.

If you are in court and you do not have a lawyer, talk to the lawyer at the courthouse (they are called duty counsel) for help. Duty counsel can:

  • give you advice and information
  • tell you about your rights and what you have to do
  • tell you how the court process works
  • in some cases, help you with your documents
  • in some cases, be your lawyer for that day

Impact of Race and Culture Assessments (IRCAs)

IRCAs are reports that help judges consider how racism, poverty and discrimination have contributed to a Black or racialized person’s interactions with the justice system. The reports are used mainly at the sentencing stage of a trial and they help the judge decide what the sentence should be.

LAO provides funding for IRCAs for people who self-identify as Black or as a member of another racialized community, who:

  1. has a legal aid certificate and has been found guilty of a crime.

  2. is facing jail time of two years or more or is between 12 and 17 and is facing a custodial sentence. A custodial sentence means that the court wants to send you to a youth justice facility or for you to serve your sentence in the community.

If you self-identify as Black, you do not require a court order to get an IRCA. If you self-identify as member of any other racialized community, you require a court order to obtain an IRCA.

To learn more and find out if you are eligible for an IRCA report, visit the Impact of Race and Culture Assessments (IRCAs) page.

Have a court date?

Get some practical tips through Courtprep.ca.


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Services

Criminal legal issues

Related Pages

Impact of Race and Culture Assessments (IRCAs)

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Wait times: Monday is our busiest day. For faster service, try calling Tuesday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

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