Court Services Melbourne
Department of Justice
Department of Justice
Documents
The handbook, guides, codes and practice directions of our courts. These are this server’s rules, not real law. They are in the DOJ Discord’s documents channel too, and Courty can answer questions about them.
Handbooks
Guides
- Criminal Procedure GuideHow a criminal matter starts, moves through the summary or indictable stream, and ends, with exactly the decisions allowed at each step.Public
- Bail GuideHow police and the court grant, refuse and revoke bail, what conditions can be set, and what happens if a condition is breached.Public
- MCAT: Civil Claims GuideHow to lodge a civil claim with the Melbourne Civil and Administrative Tribunal, how a claim is answered and heard, and how orders are paid.Public
- Coroners Court GuideHow deaths are reported to the Coroners Court, how the coroner investigates, when an inquest must be held, and what findings contain.Public
- Fines Melbourne and enforcementHow fines are paid, what happens when a fine goes overdue, and how Melbourne Police enforce it: notices, community work permits, clamps and seizures.Public
- Intervention Orders GuideWhat family violence and personal safety intervention orders are, what they require, how interim orders work and what happens on a breach.Public
- Jury ServiceWhat happens when you are summoned for a jury: who sits, how jurors are sworn, how verdicts are reached, and the $300 jury payment.Public
- Charging to Court: a Guide for Melbourne PoliceFor police: charging from the arrest report, police bail, warrant applications, bench warrants, IVO breaches, sanctions and giving evidence.Public
- Using the Justice TabletFor Justice staff: the tablet’s sections, working a matter from opening to decision, printing papers, running juries and placing the courthouse. Staff
Practice directions
- Sentencing GuidelinesGuidance for the bench on fines, jail and community work, sentence indications, spent convictions and proportionate sentences in roleplay.Public
- Courtroom Procedure and EtiquetteHow a sitting runs in our courts, how to address the bench, using the microphones and gavel, conduct in the gallery, and roleplay standards.Public