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