Netherlands is on the verge of closing eight prisons due to lack of criminals. According to the Dutch justice ministry there are declining crime rates with only 12,000 detainees currently incarcerated with the prisons in the country’s prison capacity of 14,000 prisoners. There is expected to be a trend of the declining numbers.
Last month Norway decided to outsource prisoners to the Netherlands because its own prisons are so overcrowded. In 2010 Belgian authorities also decided to start renting prisons in Netherlands since its own prisons were at full capacity.
Netherlands’ rehabilitation programme and social re-integration of criminals seems to be working for it.
According to ZME Science, Netherlands has been experiencing the steady drop in crime rate over the last 12 years because of favourable factors such as relaxed drug laws in the country, wide-spread use of ankle monitoring system, reduction in more serious crimes and shorter sentences.
The report further states that at least 19 jails were closed in 2013 due to low numbers of prisoners.
