VPRS 10621 Children's Court Register

Full description

Children's Courts were established in Victoria by the Children's Courts Act 1906. This Act came into operation on 1 December 1906. Children's Courts could sit at any place where a Court of Petty Sessions/Magistrates' Court sat.

The 1906 Act and subsequent legislation required clerks of Children's Courts to keep a register of all cases and decisions of the court. The Acts also set out the form that the register should take. The Childrens Court Register records the case number, the name of the informant or applicant, the name of the accused or defendant, his or her age or apparent age, how the defendant was brought to court (arrest warrant or summons), the court fees due, the nature of the information, charge or application, the courts decision and order and any remarks. The payment of fines or fees is often recorded in the remarks column.

When a case was deferred the case details can be found later in the register or in later registers, depending on the date of the rescheduled case. The case number remained the same.