~Justice Minister says Crime Fund access should become more transparent, rehabilitation programmes are moving toward implementation, Sint Maarten needs a solution for detained girls, and the country’s limit of three notaries is under review.~
PHILIPSBURG:--- While much of the public attention surrounding the Ministry of Justice remains fixed on crime, firearms and the shortage of prison cells, Justice Minister Nathalie Tackling used her latest appearance before Parliament to outline another side of her agenda: rebuilding institutions that she says have either remained unfinished for years or no longer adequately serve the country.
Her responses reveal a Ministry attempting to move on crime-prevention financing, rehabilitation, juvenile justice, anti-trafficking, regional law-enforcement cooperation, notarial reform and the Criminal Procedure Code simultaneously.
The breadth of that programme is significant because Tackling also acknowledged that her Ministry is operating with limited internal capacity.
Yet she told Parliament that inherited projects cannot simply be abandoned whenever governments change.
“Government is continuous,” Tackling said, arguing that projects belong to the Government and country rather than individual officeholders. She said completing delayed projects, correcting deficiencies, finding financing and removing obstacles are legitimate responsibilities — and accomplishments — of an incumbent minister.
Crime Fund Could Finally Get a Clearer Public System
One potentially important change concerns the Crime Fund.
Tackling told Parliament that the Ministry has been developing a Crime Fund policy plan and accompanying governance framework.
During clarification, she went further.
The Minister said projects containing a legitimate crime-prevention component could potentially qualify for support, regardless of which Member of Parliament proposes them.
That clarification came after MP Ardwell Irion questioned whether the Ministry's willingness to consider an initiative submitted by MP Sjamira Roseburg would also extend to proposals originating from other MPs.
Tackling said it would.
But rather than leaving funding decisions solely within the Ministry, Tackling said the proposed system will likely involve the St. Maarten Development Fund (SMDF).
Under the structure being contemplated, proposals could be submitted to SMDF for assessment and scoring before the Ministry receives recommendations.
The Minister said this would make the process more transparent and objective.
That would represent an important governance change if implemented properly: public Crime Fund money would be connected to established criteria rather than projects simply appearing to depend upon ministerial discretion.
Tackling said the Ministry is finalizing arrangements with SMDF and developing submission criteria. She intends to have a policy plan and public guidelines ready by January 2027.
Tackling Turns Attention Toward Rehabilitation
The Minister also placed rehabilitation and prevention among the initiatives being advanced.
She pointed to prison reform and rehabilitation work through a partnership with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and said additional subsidy and technical assistance had been secured for the prison project.
MP Roseburg welcomed the emphasis on rehabilitation and resocialization but pressed Tackling for timelines, including for a pilot rehabilitation initiative.
The Minister subsequently identified January as the intended start date for the project discussed during the exchange.
This is an important part of the justice debate because the country cannot treat detention capacity as its only prison problem.
The question is not simply where convicted persons will be housed, but what happens during incarceration and whether those eventually released are given realistic opportunities to return to society without returning to crime.
Sint Maarten Still Has No Proper Solution for Detained Girls
Perhaps one of Tackling's most revealing acknowledgments concerned juvenile girls.
The Minister confirmed that the country faces a problem because it does not have a dedicated facility for young females requiring detention.
According to Tackling, a business case conducted years ago concluded that Sint Maarten's numbers did not justify a separate facility exclusively for girls.
She wants that conclusion revisited.
Tackling said she has discussed the problem with Curaçao Justice Minister Shalten Hato because Curaçao faces a similar challenge.
If neither jurisdiction has enough people to run a standalone facility, Tackling suggested that some form of cooperation could provide an answer.
“I would like to revisit this and look at what is possible,” the Minister told Parliament.
That discussion exposes a major hole in the justice system.
A country can have laws governing juvenile offenders, but those laws must ultimately be backed by facilities and programmes capable of safely accommodating both boys and girls.
Tackling said the issue is being considered as part of a broader youth-sector plan.
Voices Over Violence Moves From Planning to Implementation
The Minister also highlighted Voices Over Violence, describing it as a multi-agency initiative dealing with the underlying causes of firearm-related violence among young people.
Rather than treating youth solely as the subjects of government intervention, Tackling said the programme directly involves at-risk young people in developing practical prevention measures.
She told Parliament the initiative has moved from planning into implementation.
That approach places prevention alongside enforcement — an important distinction at a time when much of Sint Maarten's crime debate revolves around more police, firearms and imprisonment.
Anti-Trafficking Campaign and Regional Police Cooperation
Tackling also listed the national “See Something, Say Something” anti-trafficking campaign among initiatives launched during her term.
She said the Ministry incorporated a national AML/CFT task force and signed an MOU with CARICOM IMPACS to facilitate information-sharing between police agencies throughout the Caribbean region.
The regional element is especially important for a small island whose law-enforcement challenges do not stop at its borders.
Tackling also said armored vehicles were donated to KPSM by the Netherlands police force.
Three Notaries for an Entire Country — Tackling Wants Law Reviewed
Away from criminal justice, Tackling turned to an issue that directly affects residents and businesses: Sint Maarten is legislatively limited to three notaries.
The Minister said she knows firsthand the frustration residents feel waiting for notarial services.
“I, too, receive a lot of complaints,” Tackling told Parliament.
The Ministry is therefore examining legislation to potentially expand the number permitted by law.
Consultations are underway with stakeholders, including the existing notaries, business community and real-estate sector.
Tackling also pointed to delays affecting estate settlements, showing the problem extends well beyond commercial transactions.
If the Government ultimately increases the statutory number of notaries, the reform could affect property transactions, mortgages, corporate matters, estate settlements, and other legal services that currently depend on a very small professional pool.
Criminal Procedure Code: Q1 2027 Is Now the Target
Another major piece of unfinished business is the Criminal Procedure Code.
Tackling clarified that the legislation is already before Parliament, but Parliament's Justice Committee previously revised it and asked the Ministry to comment.
That has turned into a lengthy exercise.
The Minister acknowledged that limited internal capacity has slowed the work, saying the Cabinet has been reviewing the amendments when time permits.
The Ministry is also working with the professor who drafted the legislation to obtain feedback on the proposed amendments before returning to Parliament.
MP Roseburg, however, was not satisfied with an explanation that contained no deadline and pressed the Minister for an actual timeline.
Tackling then committed publicly to a target:
Q1 2027.
“My hope is that at the beginning of next year, then we can be talking about that criminal procedure by Q1 of 2027,” Tackling said.
That commitment now gives Parliament a benchmark against which it can measure the Ministry.
Tackling: Continuity Should Not Be Confused With Inactivity
The political message running through Tackling's presentation was equally clear.
The Minister pushed back against attempts to divide government accomplishments into projects started by one Cabinet and projects started by another.
She argued that abandoning a sound public initiative simply because it originated under a previous administration would be irresponsible and uneconomical.
Tackling said her administration must be judged not merely on what it invented, but also on whether it successfully brought stalled or inherited initiatives across the finish line.
“Continuity should therefore not be confused with inactivity,” was the thrust of her response.
Implementation will ultimately test that argument.
The Crime Fund still needs its governance framework and public application criteria. The country still needs an adequate solution for juvenile girls. Rehabilitation programmes must move from policy announcements into measurable results. The Criminal Procedure Code still has to return to active parliamentary consideration. And expanding the number of notaries will require legislation, not simply stakeholder consultations.
Tackling has now placed several targets and commitments on the parliamentary record.
For the Justice Ministry, 2027 is increasingly shaping up as the year when Parliament will be able to determine which of those reforms moved from promises and planning into functioning institutions.