The Justice of the Peace courts are single-judge judicial bodies established in municipalities where there is no court of first instance and instruction (courts of instance, in accordance with Law 1/2025) and they provide a public service to improve neighborly relations.In addition to the civil procedure law and the Statute of Autonomy, other regulations govern the Justice of the Peace courts: the Organic Law of the Judicial Power and Law 38/1988, of December 28, on Judicial Demarcation and Structure, which determines aspects of the internal organization and personnel of the Justice of the Peace courts. Now, the new Organic Law 1/2025 of January 2, on measures concerning the efficiency of the public justice service, reconfigures the Justice of the Peace courts into modern justice offices in municipalities, to facilitate citizen access to the Administration of Justice and to provide services throughout the territory.
Proximity justice: a new Peace Justice Plan for everyone
The justice of the peace is a figure rooted in Catalonia and the Generalitat has the competences. The 2025-2028 Justice of the Peace Plan of the Government strengthens access to justice for all people, wherever they live
It is the first specific plan on justice of the peace in Catalonia and its implementation allows for the deployment of new justice offices in municipalities provided for in Organic Law 1/2025 on measures regarding the efficiency of the public service of Justice. The plan also provides for the expansion of peace judge groupings to improve this service in more municipalities and to strengthen citizen attention, especially in those towns that do not have a judicial seat. The objective is to streamline the management of procedures and facilitate access to justice from proximity.
Law 1/2025 promotes the modernization of the figure of the justice of the peace, an institution with a long tradition in Catalonia and competence of the Generalitat, in accordance with Article 108 of the Statute of Autonomy. Through the justice offices, which support the work of the justices of the peace, the reform brings justice even closer to citizens and offers a more agile, efficient, and accessible service.
The Plan foresees serving 3.2 million people, a figure that represents 40.4% of the population of 92.3% of the territory (898 out of 947 municipalities in Catalonia). Furthermore, the Plan foresees the transformation of peace judge offices into modern municipal justice offices through a series of improvements in areas such as organization, technology, spaces, and staff training. Those municipalities where there is no Court of First Instance will benefit from this.
According to the Minister of Justice and Democratic Quality, Ramon Espadaler, “grouping the OJM is a benefit for everyone: on the one hand, the grouping allows us to provide them with staff from the justice administration, which means that justices of the peace have better technical assistance and it is a gain for the judges; but it is also a gain for the citizens who can offer better services to their fellow citizens and for the citizens to whom we provide a better and closer service”.
The groupings, which must serve a population of over 7,000 inhabitants without the municipalities being from the same county, but from the same judicial district, are, in the words of the minister, "a great opportunity for the local world to equip itself with better technology, spaces, and personnel so that the public service of justice is closer, and we will help them with this".
Organization, training, dissemination, and spaces
Currently, there are 77 groupings with a total of 460 justice offices in the municipality grouped; 90 justice offices in the municipality staffed by justice administration (AJ) personnel and 348 that are not grouped and are neither staffed nor receive support from AJ personnel, but from personnel hired by the town councils. One of the plan's objectives is to guarantee AJ personnel support in all these offices to provide a more specialized and uniform service. For this reason, new groupings of justice offices in the municipality are being promoted, in dialogue with the town councils, the county councils, and with the justices of the peace.
The Plan also foresees training actions for personnel and dissemination to citizens. For example, training is being provided on appropriate dispute resolution methods (MASC), specific training for justices of the peace, specific dissemination and information channels have been created for justices of the peace, as well as dissemination of the role and their competences among citizens, among other actions.
The Department of Justice and Democratic Quality has carried out an audit to map out the spaces and facilities currently occupied by Justice Offices in Municipalities, their new needs, and the study of the necessary adaptations. The map of Justice of the Peace and Proximity of Catalonia is extensive and can be consulted through this Microsoft Power BI. Finally, the electronic file is being deployed in the municipalities' Justice Offices and a plan has been made for the provision of necessary equipment and IT tools, such as videoconferencing systems.
New competences
The new organic law on Efficiency of the Public Justice Service, which came into force last year, grants new functions to the former Courts of Peace, such as collaboration with the appropriate means of conflict resolution (MASC) units; carrying out procedural actions via videoconference; managing citizen requests; receiving applications for free legal aid and forwarding them to the competent bar associations, or providing other services through agreements with different administrations.
These new functions have been incorporated into those carried out to date: carrying out procedural communication acts –letters rogatory– to residents of the municipalities where they provide the service and their function as a collaborating office of the Civil Registry.