When is a Young Offender an Adult? Maximum Age Limits

Under the Juvenile Delinquents Act, the maximum age at which a youth could be prosecuted as a juvenile varied from province to province, and between genders in certain cases. For example, Alberta set the maximum age at 16 for boys, and 18 for girls. The Young Offenders Act, however, legislated a uniform maximum age of 17 across Canada. The Young Offenders Act applied to all youth who committed a crime before their eighteenth birthday. Due to disagreement between individual provinces and the federal government on what the maximum age should be, this section of the Young Offenders Act was not implemented immediately. It came into effect in April 1985, to make the Young Offenders Act comply with the equality provisions outlined in section 15 of the Charter. The Young Offenders Act did not change the minimum age for adult court transfers. Fourteen remained the age at which youth charged with more serious offences could be transferred to adult court.