Police Arrest
A man stole money from a grocery store and ran. The police saw Jim Hawes running down the street away from the store. They thought he was probably the robber. The police stopped Jim and took him to the police station. This is called an arrest.
There are rules for the police when they are arresting people. An arrested person also has rights:
- The police officer has to say who he or she is and why he or she is arresting Jim.
- The police officer has to let Jim phone a lawyer right away.
- If Jim wants to talk to the lawyer alone, the police officer has to let him.
- When the police officer asks, Jim should tell the officer his name and address. He doesn’t have to say more until he talks to a lawyer.
- Within 24 hours, the police have to take Jim to court or let him go.
There are different ways that Jim could be arrested:
- The police may stop Jim, but not arrest him. They may let him go home if the charge against him is not serious. Later, Jim will receive a notice in the mail. This is called a summons. The summons will say the date and time to go to court. Jim must go to court.
- The police may arrest Jim and take him to the police station and then let him go. Jim may have to sign a paper saying he promises to go to court. He may have to pay some money to make sure he will go to his trial. He will get the money back later after he goes to court.
- The police may think Jim is dangerous. Or maybe the police think he will not go to court. Then the police can arrest him and not let him go. If the police don’t let him go, they have to take him to court within 24 hours. The judge will decide if Jim can go home or if he will stay in jail until the day of his trial.
Canada has special rules for young people who break the law. They don’t go to adult court. There is a special court for young people, called Youth Court.