Criminal law in Nova Scotia is primarily federal law administered through provincial courts and justice institutions. Start with the stage of the case or the charge in front of you, then follow the connected pages for procedure, rights, offences and consequences. Every page is designed to point back to the current statute and official Nova Scotia process rather than treating a charge name as a complete legal answer.
How to use this criminal-law resource
If police are involved now, begin with police investigations, arrest and the right to counsel. If a charge has already been laid, use the process pages to locate the stage of the case and the offence pages to understand the legal ingredients of the allegation. Bail, Charter rights, court orders, sentencing, appeals and criminal-record consequences are treated as connected issues rather than isolated definitions.
Federal criminal law, Nova Scotia courts
The Criminal Code, Controlled Drugs and Substances Act, Youth Criminal Justice Act and Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms are federal law. Nova Scotia's Provincial Court, Supreme Court and Court of Appeal apply that law through the province's court system. Provincial law also creates important consequences in areas such as driver licensing.
Source-first publishing
Criminal statutes change. This silo is built around current official legislation, Courts of Nova Scotia material and Nova Scotia Legal Aid process resources, with source dates shown on each page. A charge name alone rarely answers questions about procedure, admissibility, defences or outcome.