Netherlands Closing 19 Prisons Due to Lack of Criminals
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By
Abdul Raaf Mohammed
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In 2009, the Dutch justice ministry announced the planned closing of eight prisons in the Netherlands due to a declining crime rate which was expected to continue.
In 2013, a staggering 19 prisons were scheduled to be closed. This is caused, in part, by a continued decline in crime rates. Additionally, those who are convicted are choosing electronic tagging instead of incarceration. This allows people to go back to work and continue as productive members of society. It also saves about $50,000 per year per person (about $50 million saved per year for every 1000 people).
Johnson County and the Netherlands have something in common. The average incarceration rate in the Netherlands is about 163 people per 100,000. (Source) In Johnson County, we have about the same rate of incarceration – slightly lower. (Source: 2012 Annual Sheriff’s Report – PDF)
Counties and countries with low incarceration rates typically take a different approach to criminal justice and their investment in social services
In the Netherlands, for example, the focus is on “deterring and mitigating crime” as well as “sanctioning those who violate laws with … rehabilitation efforts.” (Source)
This is similar to the approach taken in Johnson County with jail alternatives andinvesting in local social services. The county recently invested approximately $2.3 million into a portfolio of local organisations that have demonstrated a history of success with improving the quality of life in Johnson County.
While progressive drug laws in the Netherlands may be partially the reason for a decline in arrests, other social factors are also at work. This points to crime reduction through changing social behaviour as a key to reducing incarceration — rather than just changing the laws or telling police to stop arresting people as a method for artificially creating the perception that there’s less crime.
A LOOK AT COMMENTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Posting as Abdul Raafi Mohammed-fish... ▾
- Abdul Raafi Mohammed-fishbone · Director at HIDDEN VOICES with LANDMARK STUDIOSnot everyone or every country can do same. when people learn to live with their conscience as a guild. the world would have been a better place. but it is not too late, we can change. and the only way we can change is by doing to others what you want others to to unto you
- Joseph Conley · Shawnee State UniversityTo be honest, our way of viewing criminals is draconic and outdated. We're recognizing that there can be physiological causes for aberrant behavior, in addition to societal pressures like poverty or under-education. Rather than considering rehabilitation programs or, god forbid, helping the poor, people continue to blame the criminal and only the criminal for the crime, chalking it up to moral failing, rather than a problem that can be identified and treated.
People choose to fall prey to the animalistic desire for revenge, rather than to put aside their passions and think carefully about the problem.- Mark Johansen · Top Commenter · Lock Haven University of PennsylvaniaThat's right! People who steal and rape and kill don't mean any harm. They're just the victims of societal pressure and under-education. But people who say that they should be put in jail -- they are irrational, unthinking beings who can't control their passions and fall prey to animalistic desires for revenge.
The idea that some thug who beats an old lady to death for kicks might be someone who can't control his passions and falls prey to animalistic desires ... that's just outrageous. It's only the law-abiding people who just want to live their lives in peace who can fairly be described with such terms. - Gary Mccollom · Top CommenterMark Daniel Johansen Your comments about violent crimes are dead on and trying to explain that to apologists is a waste of time, but, this could work in North America as well, except for the advocacy groups screaming about privacy, insofar as these bracelets go for tracking.
Of course they should only be used for non-violent criminals. - Joseph Conley · Shawnee State UniversityMark Daniel Johansen
Hey, sarcasm! That's the highest form of argumentation right there.
You missed the point entirely. I'm not saying we should just let them roam free and do whatever they want. But we have this problem of trying to treat the symptom, not the disease. But hey, keep self-stimulating that urge to murder a murderer. It's done wonders to eliminate crime from our civilization.
- Brad Silverberg · Cinematographer/Editor at Highrise Pictures Co.This isn't supposed to be a business model, it's supposed to serve a direct purpose to our society. If there aren't enough crimes being committed it's our duty to establish that and to reward taxpayers and the public for this understanding and obedience of the laws. Police having quotas just to keep the business of prison and law financially thriving, and that's not fair to the people paying taxes to pay to be served, THEN protected.
- Javier van der Biezen · Follow · Director at Mizpa TradingYes because they are making everything legal
- Gustavo Lorenzi · Top Commenter · Santa Cruz Colégio
- Frank Churchill · Follow · TórshavnI do not understand. How does this business model work? They must operate at a loss http://tinyurl.com/qxctx2n
- Amber Bandicoot · Top Commenter · Bayugan, Agusan del SurI thought the "criminal-industrial complex" was some all-powerful and unstoppable force that put crack in black neighborhoods to provide slaves for the prisons. Psh.
- Lynn BaileyUSA needs to do something for sure different.
- Thomas VreekenThe years of prison you get for a crime are much lower in the Netherlands compared to other countries. You have to keep that in mind also.
- Erica Chaffinwish they talked more about "crime reduction through changing social behaviour as a key to reducing incarceration"
Read more: http://www.trueactivist.com/ netherlands-closing-19-pris ons-due-to-lack-of-crimina ls/ - Nathan Fields · Top CommenterDon't forget the demographic angle on this. European countries are aging very fast, and most crimes, especially violent crime, are committed by young males.
- José Kyuso Vieira · Top Commenter · Works at É farinha queres ser padeiro Tás a treinarMeanwhile in US the single biggest growing market is Private Owned Prisions they keep popping out of nowhere
- Olga Fuller · Top Commenter
- TJ Marx · Top Commenter · Works at Centre for Investigative Research and LearningOlga Fuller I don't understand the point you're trying to make. Are you implying the point of incarceration is punishment, because it's not. The point is [supposed to be] rehabilitation, and what better way to rehabilitate someone than to make them a productive member of society.
Also, beyond the absurdity of your extreme logical fallacy what do you think makes murderers or rapists particularly terrible?
Here's a couple of hypotheticals for you. A woman is beaten regularly by her partner, the violence is escalates over a period of years, one day in the midst of a particularly violent beating the woman fears for her life, grasps a heavy statue and hits her partner over the head with it repeatedly, killing them. She is now a murderer. Given the repeated bludgeoning spurred on by the years of torture, the law may or MAY NOT acce... See More
- Gojal SewnathPolice started bouncing declarations years ago, then they transfered dutch criminals to psychiatrical institutions, after that they filled the facilities with Belgian criminals and the Belgian government is paying for it. Judges rather sentence you to community service instead of giving you jailtime. Electronic tagging is experimental and not used on a large scale.
Read More: http://www.trueactivist.com/netherlands-closing-19-prisons-due-to-lack-of-criminals/
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