Getting to Know Your Own Law System: (2)

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• Summary Offenses and Indictable Offenses

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The distinction is made in Canadian criminal law
between indictable offenses and summary
conviction offensives. In one sense this is a way
of ranking the seriousness of a crime. If you are
charged with a summary offense (e.g. a traffic
violation) you will stand trial before a judge. A
jury is not required. In effect someone charged
with a summary offense has no right to a jury.
Depending on the charge it may be necessary to
use a criminal defense lawyer. The process in a
summary offense is swift. The order of
seriousness is less and the penalties less
severe. The maximum punishment for a summary
offense is generally six months in prison and/or
a 5,000 fine. Read More.. If your crime is
more serious it may be categorized as an
indictable offense. This is an offense which
cannot be dealt with summarily. You will be
tried before a judge and jury. In some hybrid
cases, the defendant is given a choice of a
summary trial. On such decisions, your criminal
defense lawyer will be best placed to advise you.
Website link is below- http//www.johnbuchananl
aw.com/