Legal Resources

Find websites and materials written in plain language.

Logo features a dove in a circle outlined with a chain, with one link broken. The organization name is to the right.

Booklet for Youth in Custody

Prisoners’ Legal Services
Booklet explaining your rights and the programs available to you as a youth in provincial custody.
Last reviewed March 2026
Logo features a dove in a circle outlined with a chain, with one link broken. The organization name is to the right.

Booklets for People in Federal Prisons

Prisoners’ Legal Services
Various booklets explain your rights and the programs available to you as a person in federal custody.
Last reviewed March 2026
Logo, coloured pale pink, blue, purple, and black, features a circle and curved line with two semi circles representing weights on a scale, over a diagonal line. The organization name is to the right.

BC Legal Information for Trans People

JusticeTrans
This resource includes province-specific legal resources. For BC this includes information about your rights if you’re arrested or detained, how to change your gender marker, the BC Human Rights Code, and how to change your name.
Last reviewed March 2026
Thumbnail of the cover, with title and logo, illustrated with a photo of three generations of women's hands one on top of the other, with the elder's hand at the bottom and the youngest at the top.

Women’s Right to Be Safe

Native Courtworker and Counselling Association of British Columbia
This resource introduces Indigenous children, girls, and women to community services that provide culturally-appropriate support for safety concerns.
Last reviewed March 2026
Emblem is a buffalo head in a blue oval, surrounded by maple leaves. The words “maintiens le droit” are in the blue oval. Above is the word “Canada” and a crown, and below is the organization name.

Criminal Record Checks

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
Find out how to get fingerprint-based criminal record checks for Canadians living in or outside Canada. The page includes information about why you may need a criminal record check, the types of certified criminal record checks, vulnerable sector checks, and more.
Last reviewed March 2026
Emblem is a buffalo head in a blue oval, surrounded by maple leaves. The words “maintiens le droit” are in the blue oval. Above is the word “Canada” and a crown, and below is the organization name.

Frauds and Scams

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
Information on email phishing, online fraud, fraudulent calls, police impersonators, rental scams, PIN-pad tampering, and ATM skimming.
Last reviewed March 2026
Emblem is a buffalo head in a blue oval, surrounded by maple leaves. The words “maintiens le droit” are in the blue oval. Above is the word “Canada” and a crown, and below is the organization name.

Firearms

Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
Information about firearms in Canada, including licensing and registration.
Last reviewed March 2026
Logo of the website "Legal Rights for Youth in BC" showing a graphic of seven hands in bright colours forming a circle

Crime & Police

Legal Rights for Youth in BC (Justice Education Society)
This website provides information for young people who are dealing with the police. It covers information about traffic tickets, sextortion and sharing intimate images, sexual assault, cyberbullying, drunk and drugged driving, and facing a police stop.
Last reviewed March 2026
Emblem featuring a detailed coat of arms with a lion and a unicorn flanking a shield.

Getting Ready for Traffic, Ticket and Bylaw Court

Provincial Court of British Columbia
This guide deals with disputing traffic tickets and tickets for offences under the provincial Liquor Control and Licensing Act and the Cannabis Control and Licensing Act. Learn how to prepare your dispute, vary your fine amounts, or reset hearing dates.
Last reviewed March 2026
Emblem featuring a detailed coat of arms with a lion and a unicorn flanking a shield.

Navigating a Court Case: Criminal (Adult and Youth)

Provincial Court of British Columbia
Links to guides such as getting ready for criminal court, the steps in a criminal case, Indigenous sentencing courts, youth courts, protection orders, and alternatives to court. You’ll also find practice directions and rules that the court has issued about its procedures, and picklists with standard wording for orders and applications.
Last reviewed March 2026