About honorary justices

What is an honorary justice?

Bail justices and justices of the peace (collectively known as ‘honorary justices’), are volunteers who perform a range of specialised services that are critical to the functioning of Victoria’s justice system.

Justices of the peace provide document witnessing and certification services to the community both during and outside business hours.

Bail justices primarily work outside business hours and on weekends to conduct hearings in relation to applications for bail or remand. These hearings are conducted in person and virtually.

Honorary justices are appointed by the Governor in Council on the recommendation of the Attorney-General under relevant sections in the Honorary Justices Act 2014.

The Honorary Justice Services Support (HJSS) area is responsible for appointing and managing honorary justice volunteers.

Support and recruitment of honorary justices

To better understand the Department’s support and recruitment of honorary justices, view this organisational chart.

This chart is a visual tool that explains the relationships between different teams and employees within the Department, as well as how honorary justices are recruited.

Honorary justices play a vital role in the community and their work ensures the justice system is accessible and inclusive for everyone, which is why they are featured on the front line of this organisational chart:

Organisational Chart

This chart is a visual tool that explains the relationships between different teams and employees within the Department, as well as how honorary justices are recruited.