Types of Crimes and Courts

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Types of Crimes and Courts

There are 3 types of criminal offences:

Summary (or simple) offences
Minor indictable offences
Major indictable offences.

The category into which an offence falls can determine which court will deal with the matter.

A hearing or trial takes place only when a defendant pleads not guilty to the charge.

After a plea of guilty, the court may deal with the defendant by:

imposing a fine
imposing a sentence or suspended sentence of imprisonment
recording or not recording a conviction (with or without penalty)
imposing a good behaviour bond
ordering home detention
ordering community service
making orders for forfeiture, compensation, intervention and restraining orders, costs and other things.

See also The Sentencing Process.

Types of Crimes and Courts : Last Revised: Tue Feb 18th 2025
The content of the Law Handbook is made available as a public service for information purposes only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for legal advice. See Disclaimer for details. For free and confidential legal advice in South Australia call 1300 366 424.

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