In South Australia there are lots of different courts.

The court the case will go to depends on the type of crime that was committed and the age of the accused person.

Magistrates Court

Most cases start in the Magistrates Court.

The Magistrates Court mainly deals with less serious crimes - but most cases for serious crimes start in the Magistrates Court and finish in either the District or Supreme Court.

Most cases in the Magistrates Court are handled by police prosecutors and heard before a magistrate alone - there is no jury.

District and Supreme Courts

These are called 'higher courts' and more serious crimes are dealt with in these courts.

The prosecution is handled by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP).

Matters can be heard before a judge and jury, or just a judge.

It can be several months or more between different hearings in the court process.

See the ODPP website for more information about the different types of hearings and the general court process.

You can also keep up to date on what's happening in the court process.

Youth Court

The Youth Court hears trials where the alleged offender is a young person (under the age of 18).

In some cases, matters are diverted to a family conference rather than dealt with in court. Learn more about Youth Justice.

The Youth Court also hears other matters including child protection, adoption and surrogacy.

More information

You can read more about each of the courts on the Courts Administration Authority website.