Ministry of Justice (Portugal)

The Ministry of Justice (Ministério da Justiça) is the Portuguese government ministry responsible for the administration of the judiciary system. It is headed by the Minister of Justice.

The Ministry of Justice should not be confused with the Public Ministry. This last one is not a Government ministry - despite the name - but the independent body of magistrates of the Judiciary charged with the public prosecution and the legal representation of the State before the courts.

Unlike usual in other countries, the Portuguese Minister of Justice does not have any kind of hierarchic authority over the public prosecutors.

Roles
The roles of the Ministry of Justice include:
 * to conceive, to conduct, to execute and to assess the policy of Justice defined by the Assembly of the Republic and by the Government;
 * to assure the relationship of the Government with the courts, the Public Ministry, the Higher Council of Magistrates and the Higher Council of the Administrative and Tax Courts.

History
The present Ministry of Justice was created in 1821 as the Secretariat of State of the Ecclesiastical and Justice Affairs (also referred as the Ministry of Ecclesiastical and Justice Affairs). In 1910, it became the Ministry of Justice and Cults and in 1940, it became the Ministry of Justice.

Organization
The Ministry of Justice is headed by the minister, assisted by the Secretaries of State of Justice.

The following agencies are part of the Ministry of Justice:
 * Directorate-General of the Policy of Justice
 * Inspectorate-General of the Services of Justice
 * Secretariat-General of the Ministry of Justice
 * Judiciary Police
 * Directorate-General of the Administration of Justice
 * Directorate-General of the Probation and Prison Services
 * Institute of Justice Equipment and Facilities Management
 * Institute of Registries and Notary
 * National Institute of Legal Medicine and Forensic Sciences
 * Center of Judiciary Studies
 * Crime Victims Protection Commission
 * Insolvency Administrators Activity Control and Appreciation Commission

Second Republic (1926-1974)
Military Dictatorship (1926-1928)