Typically charges and findings of guilt of a young offender and the
management of access to any records are held in compliance with the
Youth Criminal Justice Act which came into being in 2002. However, when
charged and sentenced as an adult even when you are under the age of
18, these records are maintained under the Criminal Records Act the
same as adult records are.
The laws regarding maintaining
youth records and the access to youth records vary and are somewhat
complex. Generally though, a summary youth charge will automatically be
removed from your record after three years while an indictable youth
charge will be removed after five years. If you are convicted of an
adult offence while your youth charge is still accessible, the youth
conviction will be frozen onto your criminal record as held in the
Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) computer database. While on
CPIC it is viewable like any adult record when a background check is
undertaken. To discuss your specific situation please contact one of
our service specialists today.