A criminal charge is serious. If the police charge you with a criminal offence, you should talk to a lawyer immediately.

The police will charge you if they believe you committed a criminal offence. A criminal charge does not mean that you are guilty. You are innocent until you plead guilty or a judge finds that you are guilty after a trial.

The police may charge you at the scene of the offence, at the police station, or at any other time or place after the offence.

Being charged with a criminal offence does not always result in arrest. A police offices has four options. The police may:

give you a summons to appear in court;

give you an appearance notice;

arrest you, give you an appearance notice and then release you; or

arrest you and keep you in jail until you appear in court

An appearance notice or a summons tells you what you are charged with and when you have to go to court. The notice may also tell you when to go to the police station for fingerprints and photographs. It is a separate criminal offence to fail to appear in court or at the police station at those times.

If you are arrested you have the right to talk to a lawyer. You will also have the right to a bail hearing if the police do not release you.  Bail hearing can be held at the next available sitting of the Provincial Court of Alberta or by means of a telephone application to a Justice of the Peace.

Your bail can be denied if the Court is concerned that you may not appear in court to speak to your charges if you are released, that you may present a danger for further offences if released, or other sufficient grounds.  A Court has the ability to detained you while the charges against you are processed or can release you with or without conditions - including a requirement to pay a cash bail.

The police have the right to take your fingerprints and photograph after they charge you with most criminal offences. If they arrest you, they will generally take your fingerprints and photographs while you are in custody. If they do not arrest you, they will gibe you written notice of when to go to the police station for fingerprints and photographs. If you do not show up, they can charge you with the offence of failing to appear for fingerprints and photographs.

If you do not appear in court when you are supposed to the judge can issue a warrant for you arrest. As well, you can be charged with the offence of failing to appear.

If you can not physically attend court for a valid reason, you should contact a lawyer immediately to discuss your options.

At your first court appearance your name appears on a list called a "court docket". When it is your turn, a court official calls you. You will then go to the front of the court and stand before the judge. At that time, a court official will read the charge.

If you do not have a lawyer, the judge will usually ask you if you want to talk to a lawyer. If you tell the judge that you would like to talk to a lawyer, then he or she will usually give you another date to return to court. If the judge does not ask, you can ask the judge for time to talk to a lawyer.

If you already have a lawyer, or do not want to see a lawyer, the judge will ask you if you understand the charge. You will then be asked to plead guilty or not guilty.

For some serious offences, you have the right to choose to have your trial in either Provincial Court or the Court of Queen’s Bench, with or without a jury. This is called making an election. If you elect to have your trial in the Court of Queen’s Bench, you will not make a plea until you appear before the Court of Queen’s Bench.

YOU SHOULD TALK TO A LAWYER BEFORE YOU MAKE AN ELECTION OR PLEAD GUILTY TO A CRIMINAL OFFENCE.

If you plead not guilty the Crown Prosecutor will have the responsibility of proving that you are guilty. If the Crown Prosecutor fails to do so at a trial, the judge acquits you.

After you plead not guilty, the judge sets a date for your trial or preliminary inquiry. Your case will be adjourned until that date. The court holds a preliminary inquiry only when you elect to have your trial in the Court of Queen’s Bench.

At a preliminary inquiry a Crown Prosecutor presents evidence to show you committed the crime. The judge decides if there is enough evidence to go ahead with a trial.

At trial, the Crown Prosecutor and the Defence lawyer call witnesses and argue their case. If the charges are proved at trial, the judge or jury finds the accused person guilty. If the charges are not proved, the accused is found not guilty.

You will not get a worse sentence if you are found guilty after trial. You have the right to a trial. If you choose to have a trial, it cannot be held against you. If you are not guilty, you should not plead guilty just because you think you might get a lighter sentence.

If you plead guilty, you admit in court that you committed the offence. After you plead guilty or are found guilty after a trial, the judge will sentence you.

Before the judge sentences you, the Crown Prosecutor tells the judge what happened. You or your lawyer will then have a chance to speak. The judge wants to know something about you and why you committed the offence. The judge may also ask a probation officer to prepare a pre-sentence report.

A pre-sentence report contains information about you to help the judge decide on a proper sentence.

You may have to return to court more than once even if you plead guilty. The judge may want a pre-sentence report or time to think about a proper sentence.

You can change a not guilty plea at any time before the court finds you guilty.

It is very difficult to change a guilty plea. You cannot change it just because you got a worse sentence than you expected.

The judge chooses from a number of types of sentence that include:

a discharge - the judge gives you a discharge rather than showing a conviction for the offence. If you are discharged, you will not be left with a criminal record. An absolute discharge takes effect right away. A conditional discharge means that you must meet conditions set by the judge.

a fine - you must pay money to the court. There will likely be a jail term if you do not pay the fine. You can ask the judge for time to pay your fine. You can also ask to take part in a fine option program. A fine option lets you do community service to work off your fine.

a suspended sentence - the judge postpones sentencing you for a period of time. The judge sets conditions that you must meet during that time. The conditions are written in a probation order. If you meet all the conditions, no further punishment is imposed. If you do not meet the conditions, you can be brought back to court to be sentenced.

restitution - the judge orders you to pay money to the victim of your crime for any damage or loss caused by your crime.

prohibitions - the judge can suspend your driver’s license or order that you cannot own a firearm.

a conditional sentence order - sometimes more commonly referred to as house arrest.  This sentence may or may not be available depending on the specific charge you face.

prison

Sometimes the law sets a minimum sentence for an offence. In this case, the judge must give you at least the minimum sentence.

The judge also can order you to pay a victim surcharge, in addition to the regular sentence. Victim surcharges are used to fund victim support programs. You cannot pay the surcharge by fine option.

Either you or the Crown Prosecutor can appeal a finding or guilty or not guilty. A sentence may also be appealed by either side.

There is a possibility that your name could appear in the newspaper or on T.V. Criminal court proceedings are open to the public. The media can decide whether they wish to publish or broadcast the name of an adult charged with an offence.

The court may prohibit publication if it might identify the victim of a crime of a sexual nature.

You will have a criminal record if you plead guilty or if the court finds you guilty. If you receive an absolute discharge, your record will be automatically removed one year after the discharge. If you receive a conditional discharge your record is automatically removed three years after you complete the conditions.

For all other sentences you can apply to the parole board for a pardon. However, before you can apply for a pardon you must complete your sentence and wait three years for a less serious offence and five years for a more serious offence.

Pardons are given by the Canadian government, and may not be recognized by foreign countries. For example, with a prior conviction, you may experience difficulty trying to visit the United States, even with a pardon. Because the U.S. government does not recognize the Canadian pardon, as far as they are concerned, you still have a criminal record. You likely would have to make special arrangements to be able to legally cross the border.