How we can help
You can contact us for free information about criminal offences and how we can help you. If we can’t help, we can refer you to other organisations that can.
- Speak to us over the phone or using our online chat
- Help in your language
- Support if you are deaf or find it hard to hear or speak on the phone
If you are going to court for a criminal offence, and your court date is more than six days away, you can request help before court.
Other organisations that can help
Legal services
Your local community legal centre can give you legal information and advice. Most services are free.
You can also find a private lawyer near you through the Law Institute of Victoria’s Legal Referral Service. All law firms included in the Legal Referral Service provide a free 30-minute interview. You can use this interview to understand more about the legal issue and discuss the available options and how much they will cost. Note that the free interview is not 30 minutes of free legal advice.
Help at court
Court Network volunteers support people at court. They are not lawyers and cannot give legal advice, but they can tell you about how court works. You can ring them before you go to court.
Our resources
These resources will help you understand:
- criminal offences
- police powers in Victoria
- what to do if you go to court for criminal charges.
Our resources include:
- Your day in court
- Police powers: your rights in Victoria
- Am I old enough? Common legal issues for young people
- Drugs, the law and safer substance use.
See a list of all our free publications and resources.
We also have a video about police.
Resources from other organisations
The Youthlaw website contains information on graffiti laws(opens in a new window) including carrying spray cans and graffiti searches.
Australian Injecting and Illicit Drug Users League(opens in a new window) website has information on the main laws and penalties related to the use of illegal drugs. It includes a section on Victorian laws and penalties.
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