At the ceremonial opening of the 2026-2027 judicial law term held in Port of Spain, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has publicly reaffirmed her administration’s unwavering commitment to backing the Judiciary in its mission to deliver faster, more equitable access to justice for all Trinidad and Tobago citizens.
Taking the stage alongside Chief Justice Ronnie Boodoosingh and Attorney General John Jeremie at the Hall of Justice event, Persad-Bissessar said she had carefully reviewed the Chief Justice’s vision for judicial administration, and emphasized that accessible, fair justice is a non-negotiable right for ordinary people. “Justice must never be distant from the people. It must never be beyond the reach of the ordinary citizen. It must be accessible, efficient and fair, and our citizens must have confidence that the institutions established to protect their rights will work for them,” she stated.
Persad-Bissessar took office in April 2025, and immediately launched a sweeping overhaul of what her administration identified as stagnant, outdated public systems that failed to meet citizens’ expectations. Her government moved quickly to collaborate with cross-sector justice stakeholders to map bottlenecks to efficiency, then rolled out an aggressive modernization agenda covering both legal affairs and civil and criminal justice frameworks. Just over a year into the program, she says tangible, meaningful change is already underway.
One of the flagship achievements highlighted by the Prime Minister is newly enacted legislation to digitize Trinidad and Tobago’s entire body of national laws, which will eventually give citizens free centralized access to all legal statutes through a single public online portal. Far from just a technological upgrade, Persad-Bissessar framed the reform as a critical step toward democratizing access to the law. “This is more than technological progress. It is the democratization of the law,” she said, adding that expanded public access will narrow the gap between communities and the judicial system, while strengthening public trust in the rule of law.
Another key legislative win is the 2026 Civil Division Act, which answers decades of requests from the Judiciary for a formal legal framework to restructure civil justice through a standalone, specialized division. Persad-Bissessar explained the act addresses longstanding systemic gaps including understaffing and administrative disorganization, cuts down on crippling case delays and backlogs, creates targeted specialized subdivisions, and boosts overall operational efficiency.
Turning to criminal justice reforms, the Prime Minister pointed to the 2026 Bail (Amendment) Act, which introduced a new formal process of Bail Source Hearings. This new regulation gives courts the power to verify that cash or real property used to secure bail comes from legitimate, legal sources. “The justice system must never become an avenue through which the proceeds of criminal activity can be legitimised,” she noted, adding that enhanced transparency and judicial oversight of bail will strengthen national efforts to combat organized crime, money laundering, and other high-level offenses.
Her administration also updated the decades-old Probation of Offenders Act, first written in 1947, to expand judicial access to split sentencing. Under the new framework, sentences can combine terms of incarceration with supervised community probation, including provisions for electronic monitoring, curfews, mandatory community service, and vocational training. Persad-Bissessar said the model balances accountability for criminal acts with a focus on rehabilitation and successful reintegration. “Justice must protect society and punish wrongdoing, but a modern justice system must also recognise that where rehabilitation is possible, people should have a meaningful opportunity to rebuild their lives and become productive members of society,” she said.
Beyond legislative changes, the Prime Minister confirmed the government has allocated full funding to support the Judiciary’s initiative to reopen shuttered magistrates’ courts across the country, a move designed to eliminate geographic barriers to justice. “A citizen in Mayaro deserves the same access to justice and essential court services as a citizen in Port of Spain, San Fernando, Tobago, or anywhere else in our Republic,” she said. She highlighted that prior to the reform, residents of rural areas like Mayaro faced unnecessary burdens: for example, those requiring probation officer services were forced to travel long distances to San Fernando, after local probation staff lost dedicated workspace in regional magistrates’ courts. With court reopenings, probation officers will once again be based in local courthouses across all jurisdictions. “That is what meaningful reform is about—not simply changing laws on paper, but improving the everyday experience of citizens who depend upon the State,” she said.
Looking ahead, Persad-Bissessar pledged the executive branch will continue to provide all necessary funding and resources to the Judiciary to advance its efficiency goals, and confirmed the justice reform program will continue with additional legislative and administrative updates in the coming term.