About Us
General Sessions, the criminal division of South Carolina’s Circuit Courts, is General Sessions is sometimes referred to as the “high” court for criminal offenses because all felony criminal charges and most misdemeanor criminal charges that carry more than 30 days and/or a fine of more than $500 are heard in General Sessions.
The magistrate and municipal courts, meanwhile, typically handle misdemeanors where the maximum penalty does not exceed 30 days and/or a $500 fine. There are exceptions to this general rule, however, and some misdemeanor offenses can be heard in either General Sessions or the Magistrate/Municipal courts.
In addition to traditional criminal prosecution, our office offers and manages a number of diversion programs—programs that offer non-criminal outcomes, focusing on rehabilitation and reducing recidivism—, provides victim and witness assistance, and prosecutes juvenile offenders in York County’s Family Court.
