The Dutch justice ministry has announced it will close eight prisons and cut 1,200 jobs in the prison system. A decline in crime has left many cells empty.
During the 1990s the Netherlands faced a shortage of prison cells, but a decline in crime has since led to overcapacity in the prison system. The country now has capacity for 14,000 prisoners but only 12,000 detainees. Deputy justice minister Nebahat Albayrak announced on Tuesday that eight prisons will be closed, resulting in the loss of 1,200 jobs. Natural redundancy and other measures should prevent any forced lay-offs, the minister said.
The overcapacity is a result of the declining crime rate, which the ministry’s research department expects to continue for some time. Some reprieve might come from a deal with Belgium, which is facing overpopulation in its prisons. The two countries are working out an agreement to house Belgian prisoners in Dutch prisons. Some five-hundred Belgian prisoners could be transferred to the Tilburg prison by 2010.
The Netherlands would get 30 million euros in the deal, and it will allow the closing of the prisons in Rotterdam and Veenhuizen to be postponed until 2012.
So what are they doing right, is it drug decriminalization?
More than anything else, how many criminals you have is a function of how many laws you have that the people don’t want to follow.
Blaming the school systems would be the position of someone who schools systems failed.
Heh, heh.
Suggesting that crime rate is determined by population density is like suggesting that bad weather is determined by air density.
# 19 dwight david diddlehopper said, “Oh come now, that wouldn’t work very well. Children should be raised by their family, not anonymous Chinese teachers. Plus there’s the language problem.”
Naw, there’s plenty of Chinese that speak English. Just import them and have them run the schools.
# 20 bobbo said, “More than anything else, how many criminals you have is a function of how many laws you have that the people don’t want to follow.”
So we do away with murder laws and then your family gets murdered. You wouldn’t consider it a crime. Got it. ROFL
#23–Patrick==very thoughtful. Damn that failed school system-I assume you did attend an USA school? South Central Somewhere?
As “murder” is against the law in every country, probably it is not a significant player in why Denmark has fewer prisoners than does the USA.
But when 80% of people are in USA jails for mere position of drugs when other countries treat such voluntary non0injurious to others conduct as a medical problem, then maybe that could explain why they have fewers prisoners.
The real mystery would then be why they have fewer hospital patients days, but then that would open up a whole different kettle of socialist fish.
Patrick—surely you can do better?
Looking at these numbers, holland seems to do better than the US. Havent checked all categories though.
http://nationmaster.com/cat/cri-crime
Just imagine how many fewer prisoners they’d have if drugs were illegal!
(sarcasm, btw)
#24. Methinks the Paddy-trOll has returned. Oh well, nice while it lasted.
booboo said, “As “murder” is against the law in every country, probably it is not a significant player in why Denmark has fewer prisoners than does the USA.”
Denmark?
#19 Naw, there’s plenty of Chinese that speak English. Just import them and have them run the schools.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_DeMpg_b_o
#28–Patrick==so you can’t do better.
Sad.
# 29 bobbo said, “#28–Patrick==so you can’t do better.”
I can comprehend what I read. You should try it sometime.
Anyway, McCullough owned due to false post.
#30–Poor Patrick==the issue isn’t what you read, its what you post.
Now the two certainly interact, but lets not miss the forest for the trees.
#4, Cow-Patty,
What table? You pulling numbers out your butt again?
#32 Google is your friend…
#12, Cow-Patty,
And have a race to the bottom? Geeze you’re stupid.
#20, Bobbo,
Blaming the school systems would be the position of someone who schools systems failed.
As my last two posts can attest, very true.
#23, Cow-Patty,
So we do away with murder laws and then your family gets murdered. You wouldn’t consider it a crime. Got it. ROFL
Please read Bobbo’s comment in #20, especially the part that goes: Blaming the school systems would be the position of someone who schools systems failed.
#28, Cow-Patty,
Denmark?
Ya, it’s north of Germany and south of Sweden. Low crime rates and great cheese and beer.
#33, Cow-Patty,
#32 Google is your friend…
Which means you pulled it out your butt again.