Categories of Criminal Offences

The main categories of criminal offences in Canada are summary conviction offences and indictable offences. Generally speaking summary offences are less serious and indictable offences are more serious. Many offences can be prosecuted as either a summary offence or an indictable offence — the Crown prosecutor makes this choice. These offences are called dual offences or hybrid offences.

Examples of the different categories of offences types are (but are not limited to):

• Indictable offences – printable under Section 2 of the Identification of Criminals Act –Murder, Assault Bodily Harm, Impaired Driving, Break Enter and theft, etc.
• Summary offences – not printable – i.e. Transportation Fraud, Prostitution, Trespassing by Night, Indecent Act, Cause a Disturbance, etc.
• Hybrid offences – Public mischief, Obstruct police, Careless storage of firearm, Sexual interference