When the police question or arrest you, they have to follow rules.
When police charge you, they give you a piece of paper that tells you what laws they say you broke.
That paper also tells you when and where to go to court.
It is good to talk with a lawyer before you go to court.

Check the papers you got from police or call the court or the police.
Online there is a list of who has to go to court TODAY and TOMORROW.

See a lawyer before you go to court.
If you can’t see a lawyer, go to court early on your court date if you are in Darwin or call the court after 8:30am on the day you are going to court elsewhere in the NT.
Talk to the duty lawyer who has an office at the court.

There is a special youth court in Darwin and Alice Springs.
There are youth lawyers you can talk to at the court who can help you and speak for you.

You can speak for yourself at court.
BUT it is good to talk to a lawyer before court. Lawyers can help you. They know how the court works.

Call the court as soon as you can.
Ask what happened when you missed court.
Call a lawyer to get advice soon.

See a lawyer, the police or the court as soon as you can. If you don’t you might get in more trouble.

At court, they will call your name.
In the courtroom, the judge will ask what you want to do about your legal problem.
If it is a criminal problem, the judge will ask you to plead guilty/not guilty or if you want more time.
The judge will usually ask you to come back again on another day.

You have to wait until they call your name. Sometimes you might wait all morning or all day.
In the court room, your court case can take a short or long time.
A lawyer can give you advice about how long it will be.

Talk to a lawyer.
If you say guilty it means you agree with what the police say you did and you agree that the judge will decide about your punishment for breaking the law.

Call the police on 131 444 or 8999 5511 (during the day), 8922 1560 (after hours).
Ask the police what they did with the person.

You can call someone in jail if you are a close family member. (Wife, husband, brother, sister, mother, father).
You may be able to arrange to visit the person.

Tell the court how you know the person and how many years you have known them for.
Tell the court the good things about them you have seen.
Find out what the police say they did.
Write down if you know why they did that. For example: trouble with their family, work or school.

A witness is someone who saw or heard something that helps the court decide if a person broke the law.
The witness assistance service can help you.