Some district court cases involving disputes, may be referred by the District Attorney to the Cumberland County Dispute Resolution Center for mediation. Juvenile jurisdiction is both civil and criminal. Juvenile cases are initiated by petition and a judge conducts the hearings, with appointed attorneys to represent the juvenile. An undisciplined or delinquent juvenile is placed under the supervision of the NC Department of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention. In some criminal actions the court may find reasonable grounds to bound the case over to the criminal superior court for hearing where the juvenile would be tried as an adult.
Magisterial jurisdiction is both civil and criminal.
The magistrate also issues arrest and search warrants and sets bail. Trial is always without a jury and may be appealed for hearing before a district court judge. Matters appealed involving monetary relief only, will first be subject to alternative methods of dispute resolutions prior to trial. Other than the matters addressed above, the magistrate is authorized to perform various quasi-judicial and administrative functions.