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Wednesday, May 21st, 2014

Netherlands Closing 19 Prisons Due to Lack of Criminals

Author:    
Source:     The Mind Unleashed
Publication Date:     14 April, 2014 at 04:20
 Link: Netherlands Closing 19 Prisons Due to Lack of Criminals
Stephan:   America has the largest gulag the world has ever seen. We have literally millions of people incarcerated. Other countries have taken a different path. Here's an example. Why aren't our politicians asking what the Dutch are doing right that we aren't doing? Even if they aren't moved by the human suffering, and unfairness that often attends these cases, every person warehoused costs tens of thousands of dollars per year.

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.”

This is similar to the approach taken in Johnson County with jail alternatives and investing in local social […]

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