Role statement - Department of Justice and Community Safety

Department of Justice and Community Safety

The Department of Justice and Community Safety (DJCS) leads the delivery of justice and community safety services in Victoria by providing policy and organisational management. Its service delivery responsibilities include managing the state’s prison system as well as providing and enforcing court warrants.

DJCS manages the development and implementation of laws, regulation and policy in areas across the portfolio (such as in gaming and emergency management) and ensures that all elements of the justice and community safety system are working efficiently and effectively.

DJCS delivers its services to the community in 7 regions throughout Victoria, including:

  • Loddon Mallee
  • Hume
  • South East Metropolitan
  • Gippsland
  • Barwon South West
  • Grampians
  • North West Metropolitan.

The department is comprised of groups that cover a broad range of justice services, some of which include:

  • Aboriginal Justice
  • Community Correctional Services
  • Crime Prevention
  • Fines and Enforcement Services
  • Prison management
  • Sheriff’s Operations 
  • Victims Services
  • Support and Reform, and
  • Youth Justice.

DJCS contributes to the broader Victorian emergency management sector through key business units:

  • Community Safety Building Authority
  • Corrections and Justice Services
  • Emergency Management Victoria (EMV) and Emergency Management Commissioner’s (EMC) functions
  • Regulation 
  • Service Delivery Reform
  • Coordination, and
  • Youth Justice

Mitigation

Activity Critical task alignment / activity source

Develop policy and plans to reduce the risk of harm to its people (both staff and clients), facilities, systems and services from major emergencies 

1.1, 1.3

Participate in multi-agency emergency management planning at the local, regional and state level

1.2

 

Support EMV to coordinate whole of government policy and planning for emergency management 

1.1, 1.2, 3.2

Response (including Relief)

Activity Critical task alignment / activity source

Provide the initial response capability for emergencies within prisons

3.1, 3.2

Lead Response Support Agency (RSA) for the functional area of corrections and consumer affairs

Table 10: Support agencies for response

Support EMV and the EMC for emergency response management (predominantly response coordination for major emergencies)

3.2

Participate on emergency management teams at the local, regional and state level as required

3.2

Provide support resources to incident and regional control centres, where possible 

3.2, 3.3

Provide advice, information and assistance to individuals, communities and funded agencies and councils about relevant DJCS services

11.1, 15.2

Provide resources to support relief centres, where possible 

3.2, 10.1, 15.2

Coordinate outreach justice services, such as community work group resources as required for recovery.

15.3

Recovery

Activity Critical task alignment / activity source
Recovery Lead Agency (RecLA) for organisation of state-led public appeals Table 14: Recovery coordination: For services across all environments

Lead agency to assess, restore, clear and rehabilitate DJCS managed public buildings and assets

19.2, 19.4, 19.7

Recovery Support Agency (RecSA) to:

  • ERV (as lead government liaison) for Australian Government Disaster Recovery Financial Assistance

Table 15: Recovery coordination: Social environment

Recovery Support Agency (RecSA) to:

  • DEECA to implement available financial assistance to assist primary producers’ recovery
  • DJSIR to implement available financial assistance to assist economic recovery and small businesses’ recovery
Table 16: Recovery coordination: Economic environment

Community Corrections Services can support in the clean-up and restoration of communities, including waterway restoration, weed eradication, large-scale tree planting, countering soil erosion, rubbish collection, fence maintenance and other community projects

18.4, 18.5, 19.4

Support ERV for the coordination of emergency relief and recovery services at state level

3.2

Support EMV in the administration of the Risk and Resilience Grants Program

20.3

Assurance and Learning

For assurance and learning activities, refer directly to the agency for further information.