WILLEMSTAD – Expenditures from Curaçao’s Crime Fund have doubled within a year, rising from 3.4 million guilders in 2022 to 6.6 million guilders in 2023. While earlier investments emphasized prisoner rehabilitation and reintegration, the latest allocations show a clear shift toward police capacity, technology, and equipment.

In 2022, most of the funding went to projects aimed at offering former inmates a second chance. Among them were Un Komienso Nobo, a program supporting ex-prisoners with reintegration, a multifunctional education and training space inside SDKK prison, and employment initiatives through probation services.

By contrast, in 2023, the police and investigative services received the lion’s share of funding. Over 2.1 million guilders was spent on bulletproof vests, more than 600,000 guilders on immigration services, and 2.3 million guilders on a new ballistics system (IBIS) for analyzing bullets. The fund also supported preventive efforts, including the “Sende ta Konsiente” campaign against alcohol and drug abuse among youth, as well as renovations at the JJIC juvenile facility.

Justice Minister Shalten Hato stressed that the Crime Fund should not be viewed as a punitive reserve. “Every guilder that comes from crime goes back into the community, with one clear goal: to prevent crime and strengthen the safety of our people,” he said.