There are limits on the investigative powers of the police, and people who are stopped, questioned, arrested, or detained have rights. This sub-topic also includes resources for people who believe they have experienced an abuse of police powers.
Criminal Law – Rights when dealing with police
Resources: Rights when dealing with police
Common Questions
This handbook provides information on many legal issues faced by women who are abused by their partners. It includes information on making a safety plan, preparing to leave, the criminal process and trial, a woman's rights under family law, protection...
This guide to the youth court process is for young people living in Toronto charged under the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA). It describes the rights of young people who have been detained or arrested by police, what may happen leading up to the...
This website has information, rights guides, presentations, and news about mental health records and police record checks. It has a section on cross-border travel, including how to protect yourself from being denied entry into the United States...
What are your rights as a young person when the police approach you on the street and ask you questions? Do you have to answer? Can the police search you or use force against you? These are among the questions addressed in this post on the Justice For...
This webinar in the Family Law Education for Women (FLEW) series looks at the high and increasing rate of Aboriginal women in prison, some root causes, and best practices for supporting Aboriginal women involved in the criminal law process. Hosted by...
Recorded on May 31, 2012. This webinar looks at the legal process when criminal charges are laid in a domestic dispute. It covers the complete process, from police involvement to the resolution of the case, and what women can expect, whether they are...
The spring 2011 issue of the Justice for Children and Youth newsletter looks at some of the legal issues that might arise when young people attend house parties. It discusses assault, alcohol, property damage, drunk driving, drugs, and the rights of...
This booklet sets out the rights of a person who is stopped, questioned, searched, arrested, or detained by the police. It also explains when the police can enter or search someone's home.
Prepared for people diagnosed with mental illness, this guide looks at what a police record is, what a police record check or background check is, the disclosure of information in background checks, who asks for a police record check, having the...
While this guide covers specific legal issues that came up during the 2010 G20 Summit in Toronto, the information in it is relevant to anyone in Ontario whose rights may have been violated by police. It includes information on how to hold police...
A blog post from Justice for Children and Youth looks at the legal consequences a group of 14-year-olds face when they decide to sneak into a factory late at night.
Know Your Rights is a video that aims to give people, and particularly youth from Toronto's Jane-Finch neighbourhood, information about their rights when dealing with police, an understanding of powers of arrest, detention, and search, strategies to...
This guide looks at the criminal justice system through questions that crime victims raised based on their experiences. It describes what happens when someone becomes a victim of crime, police procedures, trial, decision, sentencing, appeals, the...
The web site of the Office of the Independent Police Review Director has information on how to make a complaint against the police and what the complaint investigation process involves. In addition to English and French, the brochures that summarize...
The InfoGuides section of the Psychiatric Patient Advocate Office web site lists these topics on mental health and patients' rights covered by its series of information guides.
- Accessing Personal Health Information Records
- ...

