The island’s judiciary is making progress to mirror regional efforts to transform the sector, the Attorney-General and Minister of Justice said yesterday.

Kim Wilkerson told judges and court officials at the Caribbean Association of Judicial Officers’ eighth biennial conference, hosted at the Hamilton Princess & Beach Club, that Bermuda’s courts needed to shift from “predominantly punitive” models to rehabilitative and restorative approaches.

Participants included judicial officers from Barbados, Jamaica, Trinidad & Tobago, Belize, the Cayman Islands, Guyana and the Turks & Caicos Islands.

Ms Wilkerson told the gathering that Bermuda’s judicial transformation included a mental health court programme, with moves now to establish a domestic violence court programme as announced in the Throne Speech this month.

She added: “These are kinds of initiatives of which we need more, and they need to be robustly resourced, and I am consciously aware of my role in making it happen.”

Ms Wilkerson, a veteran of the island’s corporate legal sector, said she advocated an accessible, equitable and restorative justice system — adding that the conference’s theme of a holistic approach to justice resonated deeply with her.

Ms Wilkerson said steps to modernise the courts and address systemic challenges would need to reflect the voices of the populations they served, noting that the courts were to serve the people.

The Attorney-General said the move to a rehabilitative and restorative model would be critical in addressing systemic inequities.

She added: “Overly punitive measures for minor offences often perpetuate cycles of disadvantage, stigmatising individuals and limiting their societal contributions.

“I’m a huge advocate for restorative justice frameworks, such as expungement and alternative sentencing for minor infractions, focusing on the reintegration of offenders and redressing harms caused by systemic disparities.”

She said removing the element of stigma from minor offences meant acknowledging the disproportionate impact convictions had on young Black Bermudians in particular — in education, employment opportunities and social inclusion.

Ms Wilkerson said changes in the island’s courts aligned with broader global trends, adding: “We’ve seen these movements in jurisdictions such as Jamaica, Canada and several US states.”

She said she was encouraged that regional change was flourishing under the stewardship of the Caribbean Association of Judicial Officers.

The conference also addressed issues such as artificial intelligence.

The opening of the conference heard about regional legal initiatives. Justice Winston Anderson, chairman of the Caribbean Court of Justice Academy for law, said it had faced challenges but made progress over the two years since the previous conference.

He said it included judicial reforms adopted last year in Barbados to modernise its courts, which had gained traction around the Caribbean — underscoring the connection between strong justice institutions and the United Nations’ sustainable development goals.

Mr Justice Anderson said the work was a tribute to the late Justice Jacob Wit, who died in January and was “a strong voice for criminal justice reform in the Caribbean”.

Other topics for the conference include managing media relations for high-profile cases and the judiciary’s role in breaking cycles of violence against women and girls.

CAJO is to hold its annual meeting today, and the event will close tomorrow with a cultural event at the Commissioner’s House at Dockyard.