Nov 8, 20232 min read

INL supports conference to build capacity of court administration in Caribbean region

INL’s Caribbean Anti-Crime (CAC) program, implemented by the National Center for State Courts (NCSC), and INL’s Travel Grant program, funded the attendance of judicial officers, court managers and executives from The Bahamas, Barbados, Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago to attend the International Association for Court Administration (IACA) conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina on October 25-27, 2023. The attendees were joined by Caribbean counterparts from Belize, Jamaica, and Montserrat. In total, 13 representatives from eight Caribbean countries and territories attended the conference.

The IACA conference brought together judicial officers, court managers and executives from 40 countries to network and exchange best practices on topics such as access to justice, innovation in court management, remote court access, challenges of the digital age and artificial intelligence, and management of pretrial detention and complex cases.

NCSC used the conference as an opportunity to host an in-person meeting with the Caribbean conference attendees to discuss the creation of a Caribbean Association of Court Executives (CACE). Opening remarks were made by Jeffrey Apperson, V.P, NCSC, and co-founder of IACA. Remarks were also may by Chief Justice, Bryan Skyes (Jamaica). The representatives of the respective judiciaries expressed a strong need and desire to establish CACE to facilitate regional strategic cooperation and to provide educational opportunities to advance court administration in the region. The establishment of CACE will be discussed at the CARICOM Heads of Judiciaries and Chief Justices at the upcoming meeting to be held in Port of Spain on November 15-16. A follow up virtual meeting on CACE will be scheduled in late November where a draft mission statement and association formation documents will be considered.