NOTE: THIS SECTION IS
CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION
The John
Howard Society of
Criminal Justice Education FAQ
Title Page Forward Glossary of Terms Order Form
Table of Contents
Section 1: Criminal Code Offences
♦ What is Homicide?
♦ What is the Difference Between a Summary Conviction
and an Indictable Offence?
♦ What is Assault?
♦ What Does One Have to Do to be an Accessory to a
Crime?
♦ Can a Person Shoot a BB Gun in Their Own Backyard?
♦ What is the Law on Storing Guns in Houses?
♦ What is the Law on Protecting One’s Property and
Family?
Section 2: Criminal Justice Procedures
♦ What are the Different Procedures for Making an
♦ What is an Information?
♦ What are Arrest Procedures?
♦ When are the Accused’s Finger Prints and Photographs
Taken?
♦ Does a Person Have to Make a Statement to the Police?
♦ When Do the Police Have the Right to Detain the
Accused?
♦ What Can the Police Do if a Person Steals Something
Small or Something for the First Time?
♦ Figure 1: Compelling the Appearance of the Accused
♦ Figure 2: Arrest Procedures
♦ What is the Court Structure for Adult Offenders?
♦ What is a Preliminary Inquiry?
♦ What is the Youth Court Process?
♦ On What Grounds Can a Youth be Transferred to
♦ What Happens at a Transfer Hearing?
♦ Why Isn’t a Jury Used in Youth Court?
♦ What is the Difference Between Inferior (lower) and
♦ What is the Court Process for Provincial Offences?
♦ Figure 1: Adult Court Structure
♦ Figure 2: Youth Court Process
♦ What is a Criminal Record and a Youth Court Record?
♦ How Long Do Youth Court records Last?
♦ Can the Police/Courts Access a Person’s Youth Court Record
if the Person Commits an Offence as an Adult?
♦ What are Youth Dispositions?
♦ What is an Intermittent Sentence?
♦ What is a Conditional Sentence?
♦ What are Boot Camps?
♦ What is the Difference Between Probation and Parole?
♦ What Does a Life Sentence Mean?
♦ What are the Sentencing Principles?
♦ What is a Fine Option Program?
♦ What are the Youth and Adult sentences for Murder?
♦ What is the Difference Between Jails, Prisons and
Penitentiaries ?
♦ How is Youth Custody Different From Adult Custody?
♦ What Kinds of Programs and Services are Offered in
Young Offender Centres?
♦ What is the Average Incarceration Time for Youth and
Adult Offenders?
♦ Where Does a Youth Serve an Adult Sentence?
♦ What Happens to Young Offenders in Custody When They
Turn 18?
♦ What is Daily Life Like in Young Offender Centres?
♦ What is Daily Life Like in Adult Correctional
Facilities?
♦ What Kind of Work do Federal Inmates Do?
♦ Who is the Average Inmate in a Penitentiary?
♦ What are the Different Types of Security Levels in
Correctional Facilities?
Section 7: Conditional Releases
♦ What are Conditional Releases?
♦ What are Some Optional Conditions of a Release Order?
♦ What is a Work Release Program?
♦ What is the Difference Between Day Parole and Full
Parole?
♦ What is Statutory Release?
♦ What are Temporary Absences?
♦ What is a Halfway House?
♦ Is a Person Who Has a Life Sentence Ever Free?
♦ What is a Pardon?
♦ What are Victim Services?
♦ What is the Victim Surcharge Fund?
♦ What are Victim Impact Statements?
Section 9: Compensation for Wrongly Convicted Persons
♦ What can a Person Do if They Have Been Wrongly
convicted?
♦ How is the Amount of Compensation Determined for
Wrongly Convicted Persons?
♦ What Happens to a Person’s Fingerprints if They are
Acquitted or the Charges are Dropped?
Section 10: Special Provisions for Youth
♦ What are Special Provisions for Youth?
♦ What are the Rights of Youth Against Media
Identification?
♦ What Happens to Children Under 12 Who Commit Crimes?
Section 11: Abolished Punishments
♦ What is Capital Punishment?
♦ What is Corporal Punishment?
♦ What are Some of the Opposing Arguments for Capital
Punishment?
Section 12: Canadian Versus American Law
♦ What are Some Common Differences Between Canadian and
American Law?
♦ Does the Young Offender’s Act Work?
♦ Why did the Government Introduce the Youth
Criminal Justice Act?
♦ What is Community Policing?
♦ Why Does Society Help Offenders?