Criminal courts are usually trial courts with the authority to hear only matters relating to criminal prosecutions—and are said to have exclusive jurisdiction of criminal matters within the county, for example. And in some states there are appellate courts with exclusive jurisdiction over criminal appeals. For example, in Texas, the intermediate courts of appeals hear both civil and criminal cases, but the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals is the court of last resort for criminal matters, and hears appeals of criminal matters from the intermediate courts of appeal.

In New Jersey, the criminal court system is structured to handle matters specifically related to criminal prosecutions. The lowest level of criminal courts in New Jersey are the Municipal Courts, which handle minor criminal offenses, known as misdemeanors in other jurisdictions, and are referred to as disorderly persons and petty disorderly persons offenses in New Jersey. More serious criminal matters, known as indictable offenses (equivalent to felonies in other states), are handled by the Superior Court, Law Division, Criminal Part. This court has the authority to hear all indictable criminal cases within its county. After a case is heard in the Superior Court, appeals can be made to the Appellate Division of the Superior Court. The highest court in New Jersey is the Supreme Court, which has the discretion to hear appeals from the Appellate Division, and is the court of last resort in the state. Unlike Texas, New Jersey does not have a separate court system for criminal appeals; both civil and criminal appeals are heard in the same appellate courts.