Tackling: Justice budget rises to Cg. 113.8 Million, outlines six strategic policy goals

GREAT BAY--Minister of Justice Nathalie Tackling told Parliament that the Ministry of Justice will operate with a Cg. 113.8 million budget for 2026, but warned that serious staffing shortages continue to limit what the justice system can deliver, with only 591 of 1,096 approved positions currently filled.

Presenting the Ministry’s priorities during the 2026 Budget debate, Tackling said the allocation represents an increase of approximately Cg. 6.7 million, or 6.3 percent, compared with the Cg. 107.1 million approved for 2025. She cautioned, however, that the increase should not be interpreted as a major expansion of the Ministry’s operating capacity.

Approximately Cg. 79.8 million, or 70.1 percent of the entire Justice budget, goes toward personnel costs, including salaries, pensions and social premiums for existing employees. Another Cg. 13.8 million relates to Kingdom-level obligations, while approximately Cg. 4.6 million is committed to subsidies.

After personnel costs, fixed Kingdom obligations and committed subsidies are accounted for, Tackling said only about 15 percent of the Ministry’s budget remains genuinely available for the Ministry to direct toward other operational priorities.

“I say that not as a complaint, but to frame the context of the budget,” she told Parliament.

Six Strategic Justice Goals for 2026

Tackling said essentially the Ministry’s entire non-personnel budget is assigned across six strategic policy goals, leaving little unused room within the operational budget.

The six priorities outlined are:

1. International cooperation with strategic partners, carrying approximately Cg. 21.2 million. Tackling stressed that Cg. 13.8 million of this amount consists largely of Kingdom and compliance obligations that are not discretionary.
2. Shared responsibility for safety and justice, with approximately Cg. 3.2 million directed toward areas including youth protection, foster care oversight and victim support.
3. A more effective justice system, focusing on internal reforms including the Justice worker placement process and digital case-management improvements.
4. Strengthening law enforcement and crime prevention, with approximately Cg. 1.5 million in the regular budget for areas including police training, financial crime and cyber capacity. Tackling noted that significant additional police training and cooperation activities are funded outside the national budget through Kingdom cooperation.
5. Strengthening Immigration, Customs and border-related operations, with approximately Cg. 2.7 million in operational funding and an additional Cg. 4 million in capital expenditure identified in the presentation.
6. Prison reform and reducing recidivism, which carries only approximately Cg. 50,000 in the regular operational budget, but Tackling stressed that this figure gives a misleading picture of the actual investment because major prison reform initiatives are financed separately.  

The Minister said the six goals demonstrate why the Justice budget must be viewed together with external financing and other funding streams.

“There is no slack in our budget. Every operational guilder is already spoken for,” Tackling told Parliament.

Major Prison Investment Outside Regular Budget

Tackling pointed specifically to prison reform as an area where the national budget alone does not show the full extent of ongoing investment.

Construction of the new prison is being financed separately at approximately US$53 million, while roughly another US$4 million in multi-year funding has been committed with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime for rehabilitation components, staff training and preparations associated with operating the new facility.

Additional work on probation services and the youth justice approach connected to the Miss Lalie Center is also being financed outside the regular national budget.

53 Positions Funded, Hundreds Remain Vacant

The Ministry has budgeted approximately Cg. 2.6 million to recruit 53 full-time employees in 2026, more than double the 23 funded vacancies in 2025.

Even if all 53 positions are successfully filled, Tackling said the Ministry would move from approximately 54 percent staffing to only around 59 percent of its approved establishment.

The Ministry also calculated the cost of filling the remaining staffing gap. Tackling said approximately Cg. 42.9 million in additional funding would be required beyond what is currently budgeted.

She stressed that she was not asking Parliament to provide that amount immediately, but argued that Government should stop treating the Justice staffing shortage as a recurring surprise and instead develop a phased approach to determining what the country can realistically afford.

“Every post not filled is a shift covered on overtime or not covered at all,” Tackling said, adding that overtime is paid “once in guilders and once in fatigue.”

Cg. 4.47 Million in Capital Requests

Justice departments have also submitted approximately Cg. 4.47 million in capital investment requests for 2026.

Around Cg. 2.2 million, or nearly half, is intended primarily for vehicles and transport equipment, including replacement police patrol vehicles and vehicles for Immigration, the House of Detention, Court of Guardianship and National Detectives.

Another approximately Cg. 1.41 million is earmarked for ICT equipment, including expansion of KPSM’s CCTV system and new computer equipment for Immigration and Border Protection.

Crime Fund Targets Prevention

Tackling also highlighted the Crime Fund, which sits outside the national budget.

The 2026 policy plan commits approximately Cg. 1.2 million across 11 projects against a Crime Fund balance of approximately Cg. 4.1 million at the end of May.

Initiatives include youth intervention and rehabilitation programs, equine therapy for minor offenders, community service support, maritime certification, construction-skills training for young men with criminal records and the Prosecutor’s Office’s Voices Over Violence youth gun-violence intervention.

Tackling said the Ministry is also building a stronger governance framework for the fund covering applications, procurement, accounting, reporting and monitoring.

“Public money carries a public duty,” she said.

Justice Worker Placements Continue

The Minister also reiterated that approximately Cg. 5.1 million has been budgeted in both 2026 and 2027 for the Justice worker placement process.

Fifteen active employees remain without their Phase One national decrees, while seven employees who resigned after January 1, 2023, remain entitled to Phase One placement. The Ministry intends to consolidate those cases and forward them to Finance by the end of November.

Phase Two, involving validation of calculations for Justice workers dating back to 2010 where applicable, is expected to begin after the Budget is handled, with calculations targeted for validation by November 30, 2026.

Tackling said the overall challenge facing Justice is therefore not simply one of money, but of execution capacity across an interconnected system.

She urged Parliament to view the budget within the reality of the country’s legal obligations, staffing shortages and the resources required to maintain policing, detention, borders, prosecution, rehabilitation and financial integrity.

The Minister said the discussion must eventually move beyond annually identifying vacancies toward determining what size Justice apparatus St. Maarten realistically needs and can sustainably support

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