Ministry of justice
A justice ministry, ministry of justice,[1] or department of justice,[2] is a ministry or other government agency in charge of the administration of justice. The ministry or department is often headed by a minister of justice (minister for justice in a very few countries) or a secretary of justice. In some countries, the head of the department may be called the attorney general, for example in the United States.[3]
Depending on the country, specific duties may relate to organizing the justice system, overseeing the public prosecutor[4] and national investigative agencies (e.g. the American Federal Bureau of Investigation), and maintaining the legal system and public order. Some ministries have additional responsibilities in related policy areas such as overseeing elections, directing the police, law reform, and administration of the immigration and citizenship services. Some nations separate the duties of the ministry of justice from responsibility for the prosecution of criminal cases, such that the duties of an attorney general or similar officer reside in a separate office.[5] Sometimes the prison system is separated into another government department called Corrective Services.
Monaco is an example of a country that does not have a ministry of justice, but rather a Directorate of Judicial Services (head: Secretary of Justice) that oversees the administration of justice.[6] Vatican City, a country under the sovereignty of the Holy See, also does not possess a ministry of justice. Instead, the Governorate of Vatican City State (head: President of the Governorate of Vatican City State), the legislative body of the Vatican, includes a legal office.
Related articles and lists
[edit]| Country, State or Territory | Subnational division | Ministry | Head | List |
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Afghanistan | Ministry of Justice | Minister of Justice | list | |
 Albania | Ministry of Justice | Minister of Justice | list | |
 Algeria | Ministry of Justice | Minister of Justice | list | |
 Andorra | Ministry of Social Affairs, Justice and Interior of Andorra | Minister of Social Affairs, Justice and Interior | list | |
 Angola | Ministry of Justice and Human Rights | Minister of Justice and Human Rights | list | |
 Anguilla | Attorney General's Chambers | Attorney General | list | |
 Antigua and Barbuda | Ministry of Justice and Legal Affairs | Attorney General and Minister of Justice and Legal Affairs | list | |
 Argentina | Ministry of Justice and Human Rights | Minister of Justice and Human Rights | list | |
 Armenia | Ministry of Justice | Minister of Justice | list | |
 Australia | Attorney General's Department | Attorney General of Australia | list | |
| Australian Capital Territory | Justice and Community Safety Directorate | Attorney General | list | |
| New South Wales | Department of Attorney General and Justice | Attorney General | list | |
| Minister of Justice | list | |||
| Norfolk Island | Attorney General | Chief Minister | ||
| Northern Territory | Department of Justice and Attorney General | Attorney General and Minister of Justice | list | |
| Queensland | Department of Justice and Attorney General | Attorney General of Queensland | list | |
| South Australia | Department of the Attorney General | Attorney General | list | |
| Tasmania | Department of Justice and the Attorney General | Attorney General and Minister of Justice | list | |
| Victoria | Department of Justice and Community Safety | Attorney-General | list | |
| Minister for Corrections | list | |||
| Western Australia | Department of Justice | Attorney General | list | |
 Austria | Ministry of Justice | Minister of Justice | list | |
 Azerbaijan | Ministry of Justice | Minister of Justice | list | |
 Bahamas | Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Legal Affairs (Bahamas) | Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs | list | |
 Bahrain | Ministry of Justice | Minister of Justice | list | |
 Bangladesh | Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs | Minister of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs | list | |
 Barbados | Office of the Attorney General and Ministry of Legal Affairs | Attorney General | list | |
 Belarus | Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Belarus | Minister of Justice | list | |
 Belgium | Federal Public Service Justice | Minister of Justice | list | |
 Belize | Ministry of the Attorney General Office | Attorney General | list | |
 Benin | Ministry of Justice | Minister of Justice | list | |
 Bermuda | Attorney General's Chambers | Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs | list | |
 Bhutan | Office of the Attorney General | Attorney General | list | |
 Bolivia | Ministry of Justice and Institutional Transparency | Minister of Justice and Institutional Transparency | list | |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina | Ministry of Justice | Minister of Justice | list | |
 Botswana | Ministry of Defence, Justice and Security | Minister of Defence, Justice and Security | list | |
 Brazil | Ministry of Justice and Public Security | Minister of Justice and Public Security | list | |
| Attorneyship General of the Union | Attorney General | list | ||
 British Virgin Islands | Department of Justice | Attorney General | list | |
 Brunei | Office of the Attorney General | Attorney General | list | |
 Bulgaria | Ministry of Justice | Minister of Justice | list | |
 Burkina Faso | Ministry of Justice | Minister of Justice | list | |
 Burundi | Ministry of Justice | Minister of Justice | list | |
 Cambodia | Ministry of Justice | Minister of Justice | list | |
 Cameroon | Ministry of Justice | Minister of State for Justice | list | |
 Canada | Department of Justice | Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada | list | |
| Alberta | Ministry of Justice and Attorney General | Attorney General and Minister of Justice | list | |
| British Columbia | Ministry of Justice | Attorney General and Minister of Justice | list | |
| Manitoba | Department of Justice (Manitoba) | Attorney General and Minister of Justice | list | |
| New Brunswick | Department of Justice (New Brunswick) | Attorney General and Minister of Justice | list | |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | Department of Justice and Public Safety | Attorney General and Minister of Justice and Public Safety | ||
| Northwest Territories | Department of Justice | Minister of Justice | ||
| Nova Scotia | Department of Justice | Attorney General and Minister of Justice and Public Safety | ||
| Nunavut | Department of Justice | Minister of Justice | ||
| Ontario | Ministry of the Attorney General | Attorney General | list | |
| Prince Edward Island | Department of Justice and Public Safety | Attorney General and Minister of Justice and Public Safety | ||
| Quebec | Ministry of Justice | Minister of Justice (Quebec) | list | |
| Saskatchewan | Ministry of Justice | Attorney General and Minister of Justice | ||
| Yukon | Department of Justice | Minister of Justice | ||
 Cape Verde | Ministry of Justice and Labor | Minister of Justice and Labor | list | |
 Cayman Islands | Office of Director of Public Prosecutions | Director of Public Prosecutions | list | |
 Central African Republic | Ministry of Justice and Human Rights | Minister of Justice and Human Rights | list | |
 Chad | Ministry of Justice | Minister of Justice | list | |
 Chile | Ministry of Justice and Human Rights | Minister of Justice and Human Rights | list | |
 China | Ministry of Justice | Minister of Justice | list | |
| Supreme People's Procuratorate | Procurator-General | list | ||
 Hong Kong | Department of Justice | Secretary for Justice | list | |
 Macau | Secretariat for Administration and Justice | Secretary for Administration and Justice | list | |
 Republic of China (Taiwan) | Ministry of Justice | Minister of Justice | list | |
 Colombia | Ministry of Justice and Law | Minister of Justice and Law | list | |
 Comoros | Ministry of Justice, Islamic Affairs, Public Administration and Human Rights | Minister of Justice, Islamic Affairs, Public Administration and Human Rights | list | |
 Cook Islands | Ministry of Justice | Minister of Justice | list | |
 Costa Rica | Ministry of Justice and Peace | Minister of Justice and Peace | list | |
 Croatia | Ministry of Justice | Minister of Justice | list | |
 Cuba | Ministry of Justice | Minister of Justice | list | |
 Cyprus | Ministry of Justice and Public Order | Minister of Justice and Public Order | list | |
 Czech Republic | Ministry of Justice | Minister of Justice | list | |
 Democratic Republic of Congo | Ministry of Justice and Human Rights | Minister of Justice and Human Rights | list | |
 Denmark | Ministry of Justice | Minister of Justice | list | |
 Djibouti | Ministry of Justice and Penal Affairs | Minister of Justice and Penal Affairs | list | |
 Dominica | Ministry of Justice, Immigration and National Security | Minister of Justice, Immigration and National Security | list | |
 Dominican Republic | Attorney General of the Republic (Dominican Republic) | Attorney General | list | |
 Ecuador | Ministry of Justice, Human Rights and Cults | Minister of Justice, Human Rights and Cults | list | |
 Egypt | Ministry of Justice | Minister of Justice | list | |
 El Salvador | Public Ministry | Attorney General | list | |
 | ||||