Court of Quebec - Criminal and Penal Division

The Court of Quebec is made up of around 270 judges, including a Chief Justice, a Senior Associate Chief Justice, and three associate Chief Justices. The court is divided into several divisions: the Civil Division, the Youth Division, and the Criminal and Penal Division. In this text, we only deal with the Criminal and Penal Division, which, as its name indicates, deals with criminal and penal cases. In the Criminal Division, the court is always composed of a judge presiding alone. There is no jury at the Court of Quebec.

Criminal and penal law deals with forbidden acts called "offences". Prosecution of such offences is done by the state and those found guilty of committing an offence are given a sentence.

The Criminal and Penal Division of the Court of Quebec is called upon to apply a variety of laws. The first of these is the Criminal Code (a federal law). It lists which acts are offences and what their maximum sentences can be. It also establishes many of the rules of evidence and procedure. The Criminal Division also applies federal criminal laws such as the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act.

The Criminal and Penal Division also deals with all offences under Quebec laws (provincial offences), such as those in the Highway Safety Code and the Taxation Act. These laws regulate aspects of human activity and define certain acts as offences. For these offences, called penal or statutory offences, the Code of Penal Procedure provides most of the rules of evidence and procedure.

The Court of Quebec is also where all preliminary inquiries concerning criminal offences occur, even if they are eventually judged in the Superior Court.