Resources

The process after a young person has been charged with a youth criminal offense:

If a young person has been charged and released, they may have been given a court date.  It is important to contact Legal Aid, or a lawyer in order to obtain legal counsel.  While the young person is involved in the court process, Banyan’s Youth Mental Health Court Worker may be able to provide them with information, resources and supports to assist in this process.

Depending on the type and circumstances of the offense, a young person may be eligible for a mental health diversion program as an alternative to the formal court process.  For further information about mental health diversion programs, please contact Banyan Youth Mental Health Court Worker Program

The John Howard Society of Hamilton also provides diversion programs through their Extrajudicial Sanctions and Measures Program.

If a young person has been charged and detained, they will be placed at a youth justice residential facility until the courts determine that they may be released back into the community.

Banyan operates 3 youth justice residential facilities:

If a young person has been placed in one of our detention facilities an intake will be completed to assess their immediate needs. The young person will then be assisted with obtaining legal counsel and given details about our program.  Once the intake process is completed, a staff member from the facility will contact a parent/guardian.  The facility will inform the parent/guardian(s) about the program, and how the young person may be contacted while they are in detention.

Once a young person has been released from detention, they may benefit from further supports to successfully return to the community.

Youth Justice Services:

Ellen Fairclough Building
119 King St W 2nd Floor
Hamilton ON L8P 4Y7

905.521.7458

  • Probation Services (Youth Justice) Niagara

Garden City Tower
301 St Paul St, Ground Floor
St Catharines, ON L2R 7R4

905.704.3215

For more information please contact:

Banyan’s Youth Mental Health Court Worker
905.545.0133 ext. 3007

General Inquiries:

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If you need additional support or more information, please go to www.211Ontario.ca.

211 calls are free and answered by “certified information and referral specialists” who are trained to provide information, ask questions, search through more than 56,000 programs and services province-wide and advise you about how to access the help you need. The 211 system is most useful in isolated communities and helps to deploy faster help that can avoid a crisis. Call-takers can access a translation service offering 150 languages.