Being in Court: Engaging Social Work Students in a Real-Life Context of Witnessing General Magistrate Court Hearings in South Australia

A central concern for the social work profession has been related to preparing students for social work practice in the legal context of court settings. This article focuses on a university-court teaching initiative that supported social work students to attend the General Magistrates Court, to witness court proceedings for people charged with criminal offenses and bail hearings for people being held in custody and seeking release. This paper highlights the perspectives of 43 social work students who attended and responded to an anonymous online student survey which was thematically analyzed. Three key themes were found which related to the students experiencing a “real life” experience of the criminal justice system, learning about court terminology and processes, and engaging with ethical challenges in the criminal justice system. The students reflected on how their experience developed their knowledge of social justice and human rights issues in criminal justice, which is at the forefront of students being prepared for the social work profession.