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How to become a Justice of the Peace or bail justice

Introduction

Justices of the Peace and bail justices are volunteers who perform important roles to assist the community. They are required to satisfy higher standards than might otherwise be expected of many members of the community.

Justices of the Peace provide document witnessing and certification services to the community both during and outside business hours. Justices of the Peace are expected to list their contact details on the 'Find a Justice of the Peace' website so that members of the community may locate and utilise their services.

Bail justices predominately work outside business hours and on weekends to conduct hearings in relation to applications for bail or remand and also applications for interim accommodation orders relating to children. Bail justices are expected to make themselves available for duty approximately one day a week or 52 days a year. Bail justices are appointed for a term of five years, after which they may apply to be reappointed.

The position descriptions, which are available for downloading below, provide further information in relation to the roles of Justices of the Peace and bail justices.

Information Sessions

If you are interested in becoming an honorary justice volunteer, you are encouraged to attend an information session in your area: application forms will also be available at these sessions. Please check the website periodically to find information on recruitment in your area.

Application Process

The application process can take at least 6 months as there are a number of stages that an applicant must progress through to be appointed as a Justice of the Peace or bail justice. The steps involved in being appointed as an honorary justice include a written application, an interview, referee and probity checks and the successful completion of training.

To be eligible for appointment as an honorary justice, you must:

• Be at least 18 years of age (and no more than 64 years of age for a bail justice).
• Be an Australian citizen
• Permanently reside in Victoria
• Consent to a national police record check
• Not be an undischarged bankrupt
• Provide three referees

Steps to becoming an Honorary Justice

Below is an outline of the steps to becoming an honorary justice.

• Application form and Consent to Check and Release National Police Record Received
• National Police Check and Probity Checks Completed
• Application Assessed for Eligibility and Suitability
• Interview
• Reference Checks Conducted
• Assessment of Suitability to Progress to Training
• Assessment Based Training to be Completed
• Assessment of Suitability to Progress to Recommendation for Appointment*

*    Justices of the Peace are appointed by the Governor in Council on the recommendation of the Attorney General. The Attorney General appoints bail justices.

Training Requirements

To be recommended for appointment, an applicant must successfully complete an assessment based training course. The requirements for training are:

            Justices of the Peace – One and a half day face to face training

            Bail Justices – Self paced online training and four days of face to face training

Application

To enable your application to be progress:

• complete the Application for Appointment - Justice of the Peace in Victoria or the Application for Appointment – Bail Justice in Victoria and
• complete Sections B, C, F, and G of the Consent to Check and Release National Police Record Application form. Do not complete sections A, D and E. These are for administrative purposes. The cost of obtaining the National Police Certificate will be covered by the Honorary Justice Office.

Please return the Application for Appointment and the Consent to Check and Release National Police Record Application to:

Honorary Justice Office
PO Box 13193 (Law Courts)
Melbourne VIC 8010

The Honorary Justice Office will only accept these documents in hardcopy form.

If you require further information or support in completing your application, please contact the Honorary Justice Office (see details below).

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Author:	Department of Justice
Place of Publication:	Melbourne
Publisher:	Department of Justice
Date of Publication:	October, 2011
Number of Pages:	Application for Appointment – Justice of the Peace in Victoria - 8 Application for Appointment – Bail Justice in Victoria - 8 Consent to Check and Release National Police Record - 10 Justice of the Peace Position Description - Nov 11 - 2 Bail Justice Position Description - Nov 11 - 2 Recruitment Information - May 12 -1
Copyright:	State of Victoria, 2011