JUSTICES of the Peace (JPs) are again being cautioned against malpractices that will bring the noble office into disrepute and encouraged to seek out alternative measures when they become doubtful.

The latest warning comes from St Thomas Custos Marcia Bennett, who argued that individual wrongdoings are often attributed to all justices, “and the public now questions our integrity”.

Speaking at the commissioning ceremony for 40 new JPs at the Yallahs Baptist Church in the parish on Thursday, the custos advised: “If in doubt, use your tools, [such as] the manual that you have been given and reach out to a senior justice of the peace.”

She called out those persons who appear to be treating the office like a business by setting up streetside operations. “You can’t go around sitting on a corner and just signing and somebody drops something in your lap. That is not a person of integrity,” Bennett argued.

The office of justice of the peace is voluntary and services should be at no cost to members of the public. An official seal is given to each commissioned JP to perform his/her duties.

Said Custos Bennett: “Be careful how you sign and how you affix your signature and your seal to any document; you must know the person, and if in doubt, do not sign.”

Misconduct by a JP, once discovered, is brought before a disciplinary committee where deliberations will be made. This can lead to a recalling of the seal or decommissioning of the JP.

Jamaica currently has a network of more than 6,000 JPs whose duties include promoting and protecting the rights of individuals and helping to give justice to people in particular communities.