Post by Admin on Nov 2, 2015 9:13:09 GMT 12
In 2011 I wrote the following letter to he editor of The Justice Quarterly, but as it appears that this magazine does not accept input from individual JPs the letter was ignored.
At the last meeting of our local JP group the matter of JPs making themselves available after normal business hours to clients was raised. Complaints had been received by the Auckland Association that potential clients had, in the evenings and weekends, rung up numerous JPs listed in the Yellow Pages and got the response that they were not available. It was pointed out that we have taken a pledge to serve our community and therefore should be reasonably flexible in the times we make our homes available for clients requiring our services.
This begs the question: What are reasonable hours? I don't think there is a simple answer to this as there are a number of factors involved.
Firstly, through our pledge we are expected to offer our services to clients and not just sit back once we have gained the title of 'JP'.
Many of us are retired so that we are available during normal business hours and may feel justified in confining our services to those hours. In my case I became a JP because I saw the real need for service while I was working as a volunteer in a West Auckland Citizens Advice Bureau. After being appointed I undertook regular duties at the JP 'clinics' in the local CAB. When I received JP enquires at home I always asked the clients if they knew there was a service available at the local CAB and invariably they had no such knowledge and were happy to attend one of these clinics. I found that both I and the clients preferred the neutral environment of a clinic as against invading one's home for the performance of a public service. Nowadays I attend regular JP clinics at two CABs as well as being on call at other bureaux and for fill-in duties. My records show that I attend to between 35 and 60 clients each week.
There are some JPs who have full time employment and who may not be able to perform JP duties at their workplace or at clinics. In this case, if the JPs wish to be active in performing their responsibilities, they would be expected to offer their services outside normal working hours, because if not there would be little point in their carrying on as a JP.
In larger cities such as Auckland where there are numerous clinics scattered around the city one would expect that whenever possible clients should use these clinics rather than contacting individual JPs at home. However in smaller communities with few or no clinics, one may expect that JPs to be more flexible in the hours they make themselves available in these closer-knit communities.
As to the urgency of JP services, requiring a 24/7 service, I cannot think of a single client I attended to whose case I would regard as urgent. Last minute, perhaps but any such resulting urgency was the fault of the client's procrastination. I know of no other free community service where volunteer workers offer themselves after hours for non-urgent matters. This is a pure convenience to clients who could, if necessary, take time off work to attend a JP clinic as they would to attend a medical clinic or a lawyer. The fact that our service is free does not automatically conclude that it as 24/7 service.
There are of course certain cases which may indeed be classed as urgent such as warrant issuing for police however special JPs have volunteered and are trained to perform this service so it is assumed they would be making themselves available at all hours.
In the circumstances may I suggest that the JP Associations consider some possible policy changes, in larger cities at least, where there are clinics offering JP services. With regard to listing of JPs in the Yellow Pages, where JPs are regularly serving in clinics and do not wish to offer their services after hours, on request, their names could be removed from the Yellow pages listing while those who aren't available during normal hours and are therefore offering an after-hour service would be expected to be listed.
At the last meeting of our local JP group the matter of JPs making themselves available after normal business hours to clients was raised. Complaints had been received by the Auckland Association that potential clients had, in the evenings and weekends, rung up numerous JPs listed in the Yellow Pages and got the response that they were not available. It was pointed out that we have taken a pledge to serve our community and therefore should be reasonably flexible in the times we make our homes available for clients requiring our services.
This begs the question: What are reasonable hours? I don't think there is a simple answer to this as there are a number of factors involved.
Firstly, through our pledge we are expected to offer our services to clients and not just sit back once we have gained the title of 'JP'.
Many of us are retired so that we are available during normal business hours and may feel justified in confining our services to those hours. In my case I became a JP because I saw the real need for service while I was working as a volunteer in a West Auckland Citizens Advice Bureau. After being appointed I undertook regular duties at the JP 'clinics' in the local CAB. When I received JP enquires at home I always asked the clients if they knew there was a service available at the local CAB and invariably they had no such knowledge and were happy to attend one of these clinics. I found that both I and the clients preferred the neutral environment of a clinic as against invading one's home for the performance of a public service. Nowadays I attend regular JP clinics at two CABs as well as being on call at other bureaux and for fill-in duties. My records show that I attend to between 35 and 60 clients each week.
There are some JPs who have full time employment and who may not be able to perform JP duties at their workplace or at clinics. In this case, if the JPs wish to be active in performing their responsibilities, they would be expected to offer their services outside normal working hours, because if not there would be little point in their carrying on as a JP.
In larger cities such as Auckland where there are numerous clinics scattered around the city one would expect that whenever possible clients should use these clinics rather than contacting individual JPs at home. However in smaller communities with few or no clinics, one may expect that JPs to be more flexible in the hours they make themselves available in these closer-knit communities.
As to the urgency of JP services, requiring a 24/7 service, I cannot think of a single client I attended to whose case I would regard as urgent. Last minute, perhaps but any such resulting urgency was the fault of the client's procrastination. I know of no other free community service where volunteer workers offer themselves after hours for non-urgent matters. This is a pure convenience to clients who could, if necessary, take time off work to attend a JP clinic as they would to attend a medical clinic or a lawyer. The fact that our service is free does not automatically conclude that it as 24/7 service.
There are of course certain cases which may indeed be classed as urgent such as warrant issuing for police however special JPs have volunteered and are trained to perform this service so it is assumed they would be making themselves available at all hours.
In the circumstances may I suggest that the JP Associations consider some possible policy changes, in larger cities at least, where there are clinics offering JP services. With regard to listing of JPs in the Yellow Pages, where JPs are regularly serving in clinics and do not wish to offer their services after hours, on request, their names could be removed from the Yellow pages listing while those who aren't available during normal hours and are therefore offering an after-hour service would be expected to be listed.