The criminal is too little The Dutch prison would close the door?
July
www.diecastingpartsupplier.com
2016-06-12 10:39:04
The Netherlands is suffering an unusual crime problem: there isn't enough of it to fill prisons.
Figures from the Dutch ministry of justice suggest overall crime will drop by 0.9% a year in the next five years.
"More than a third of cells are not used, and the predictions are that it is going to get worse," said Jaap Oosterveer, a spokesman for the ministry of justice. "Obviously, from a social perspective, it is better because crime is down, but if you work in jails, it is not good news."
The government of the Netherlands is planning to close down five more prisons, after closing eight jails in 2009 and shutting down another 19 in 2014.
The Netherlands has been innovative in trying to solve its jail problem. It has "leased" spots in jails to Belgium and Norway. The country also signed a new three-year deal with Norway last September, with 240 Norwegian convicts taking up residence at a jail in Drenthe.
Karl Hillesland, Dutch prisons' director, told the country's broadcaster RTV Drenthe last month that there is even a "small waiting list", partly due to the success of promotional films shown in Norway.