Youth records and crossing the border
Scenario: Justin is 18 and a Canadian citizen. Four years ago, he got into a fight at school and was charged with assault. Justin pled guilty and was sentenced to a conditional discharge. Justin completed all requirements of the sentence. Since then, he has put the incident behind him, and hasn’t had any other charges…
I have a youth record. What happens to it when I turn 18?
It depends. Your youth record does NOT automatically disappear when you turn 18. Instead, the law sets out a period in which the record is open and can be accessed by people that are authorized by the law, like the Crown Attorney, before it is sealed. The relevant law is called the Youth Criminal…
What does it mean to be charged with a crime?
In order for you to be charged with a crime in Canada, that behaviour has to be prohibited by a law. You can find most of the offences that young people are charged with in the Criminal Code, or in a related statute (for instance, if it is a drug offence, you might find it…