Delroy Chuck urges wills and estate planning to reduce family disputes and violence

Justice Minister Delroy Chuck is renewing his call for Jamaicans to put wills in place and organise their estates, saying unresolved inheritance issues are helping to drive family disputes and violence across the country.

The appeal comes as police figures show that more than 7,000 domestic violence reports were made in 2025, while 34 murders were connected to domestic disputes. Chuck said estate planning, which sets out how a person’s property should be handled after death, can reduce quarrels among relatives and ease pressure on the justice system.

According to the minister, more than $50 billion in estates and other assets is currently with the Administrator General’s Department. He said the agency exists largely because many people die without wills, leaving the State to help settle and distribute their property.

Chuck also pointed to roughly $5 billion in cash that has not been paid out because of inheritance disagreements. He said alternative dispute resolution could help, including mediation training for staff at the Administrator General’s Department so families can be brought together to settle how estates should be shared.

The minister said the department deals with hundreds of matters each year, but new cases continue to come in. He warned that when relatives have no clear instructions after a death, disputes often arise over whatever the deceased person left behind.

Chuck said those conflicts are placing a strain on the justice system and contributing to violence in communities. Jamaicans are again being encouraged to make wills before problems develop among beneficiaries.