A child or a young person in court

This website provides information to children and young people on what happens if they become victims of an offence, are eyewitnesses of an offence or are prosecuted for an offence. The website answers questions related to, for example, legal proceedings and penalties. We will also explain how matters are resolved in court in a situation where parents are going to divorce or when justice is being exercised in a child welfare matter.

What does it mean when you have to go to court? What is a court?

“Going to court” means a court hearing the case and a judge deciding on a fair outcome to a legal dispute or prosecution. The courts therefore deal with and rule on cases where a person has breached common rules or where a court decision is otherwise required. In our society, the courts have been entrusted with this task and the decision-making power and responsibility associated with it. The aim is to prevent people from taking justice into their own hands and retaliating for the wrongs they have suffered. Therefore, only the court has the right to impose a punishment on a person for an offence committed by that person. Courts also rule on a wide range of other matters that may relate to contracts, disputes or, for example, to the family, such as the divorce of parents, custody of children or the distribution of an estate.