People who have been incarcerated – Other help
Legal Advice
Legal Aid Ontario
Legal Aid Ontario provides legal help, including legal advice or a certificate to pay a private lawyer to represent you, if you are eligible for their services.
People in police custody
If you are in police custody, tell the police you want to speak to duty counsel. The police officer should connect you to a lawyer through Legal Aid Ontario’s Brydges Hotline, available 24/7 in any language – whether or not you qualify for legal aid.
Young Offenders
Legal Aid Ontario’s Young Person’s Diversion Hotline (under 17 and arrested for a non-violent crime): 1-855-953-1427 (available 24/7)
Legal information is given via an automated message for under-18 offenders. You can leave a message for a legal aid lawyer to call you back and provide 20 minutes of free summary legal advice.
Immigration Detention Representation Program (IDRP)
Legal Aid Ontario is launching an Immigration Detention Representation Program (IDRP) in January 2021 on a one‑year pilot basis.
The IDRP will use a collaborative approach between refugee panel lawyers acting on certificates and LAO’s Refugee Law Offices in Toronto and Hamilton. The program will connect unrepresented detained clients with counsel in time to ensure meaningful representation at the 48‑hour review hearing, and subsequent hearings, if the client remains in detention. It will also provide training and mentorship to panel lawyers doing detention work. The aim of this hybrid model is to ensure access to counsel for all unrepresented financially eligible detainees.
See the Legal Aid website for more information on help for refugee and immigration legal issues.
Napanee residents
Queen’s Legal Aid offers legal assistance for some criminal charges and provincial offences for residents in Napanee (or Kingston), Ontario.
Prison law clinic
Queen’s Prison Law Clinic provides legal advice, assistance, and representation in matters relating to prison and parole in Kingston-area penitentiaries and Warkworth Institution.
Private bar lawyers
- Law Society Referral Service offers a free 30 minute consultation with a lawyer.
- JusticeNet is a not-for-profit service offering legal services for reduced fees if your income is too high for legal aid but too low to afford standard legal fees.
Other help
Support for ex-offenders and their families
The John Howard Society of Belleville and District and the John Howard Society of Kingston and District provide supports and services to those at risk of entering the criminal justice system, offenders, ex-offenders, their families, schools, communities and the public at large that encourages reintegration, community safety and prevention of crime.
Complaints about a federal institution
If you are in a federal prison and you have a complaint about the facility, contact the Office of the Correctional Investigator.
Complaints about a provincial institution
If you have a complaint about a provincial detention or correctional facility, you can complain to the Ontario Ombudsman’s office takes complaints about provincial institutions. You can make a complaint online or by phone.
Tontakaierine Tyendinaga Justice Circle Courtworker
The Justice Circle provides support and services to people with criminal court matters.
Support for children of incarcerated parents
The Canadian Coalition for Children with Incarcerated Parents seeks to create standard safeguards that ensure the best interests of the child are a primary consideration in all decisions and at every stage of the justice system in Canada. Resources are available on their website.