A person who has reached 18 years of age is not considered a child for the purposes of criminal law. It is important to note that the individual must have been 18 years of age at the time they committed the offence because in some instances, it may take a substantial amount of time for an arrest, and in many cases, it may take more than one year for the case to be tried. There are occasions, however, where the individual is close to being 18 years old and the crime is sufficiently hideous that the Crown may decide to try the individual as an adult instead of as a young offender.

Also, once they are found guilty by a Youth Court under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, children under the age of 18 may be sentenced as adults for serious and violent crimes, such as murder and aggravated sexual assault.  For more information, see the Young Offenders section of Criminal Law.

								
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