WDW101Y1 Lecture Notes - Jury Trial, Summary Offence, General Jurisdiction
9 Feb 2013
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Document Summary
Introduction to the criminal court system and pre-trial decision making. Thirteen provincial/territorial courts and one federal court. Permanent courts (and court buildings) exist in large urban areas. Circuit courts exist in small, rural communities: schedule court dates as per need. At the provincial level there is a major difference between courts of limited jurisdiction and courts of general jurisdiction. Deal with most minor criminal matters (summary offences). Some specialized courts (e. g. , motor vehicle violations) in major urban centres. A single magistrate (judges, justice of the peace, etc. ) makes all the decisions: no jury trial. These magistrates provide law enforcement agents with search warrants, subpoenas, summonses and remand warrants. Deal with the most serious criminal offences (indictable offences) Trial by judge (sitting alone) or by judge and jury. Specialized courts have also appeared within courts of general jurisdiction (including special drug courts or courts dealing with family violence): special court for street crimes.
