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Dutch prison crisis: A shortage of prisoners

bbc.co.uk

11–20 of 183 posts

Re: Dutch prison crisis: A shortage of prisoners

#11
It's not a lack of crime that causes it but a lack of solved crimes. Violent crimes for example, if a violent crime gets reported in Germany they solve the crime in 80% of the cases but in Holland just 40%.

People organise neighbourhood watch WhatsApp groups to prevent crime instead of relying on the police to fix things. Within ten years these groups will probably grow into armed and organised right-wing groups. And there's a constant flood of people trying to get into clubs with shooting ranges, the only way to get a gun legally in The Netherlands if you're not in the police or the army.

So people don't trust the government anymore in protecting them and they take rights into their own hands. Not a socialist paradise that's so right and just that nobody commits crimes anymore.

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Edit 2: I'm not telling that it's not a safe place. I'm telling that when something does happen you shouldn't rely on the police to fix it.

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Thanks for the down votes without knowing the facts.

There are many sources, this is one of the more recent:

https://duitslandinstituut.nl/artikel/10090/opvallende-versc...

WhatsApp neighbourhood patrols:

https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2016/02/29/waken-met-whatsapp-rukt...

http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/960/Buitenland/article/detail/27997...

Apart from that every shooting range has a huge waiting list nowadays. Just pick the ones closest to you.

Re: Dutch prison crisis: A shortage of prisoners

#12

Business idea: import prisoners! (jk)

That's happening; holland takes on Belgian prisoners. Or at least they did, then did not, then did, I'm not sure where it stands right now. But definitely happening :)

Belgium has an abysmal track record when it comes to prisons. It's been repeatedly convicted for treating prisoners like cattle, for putting psychiatric patients in regular prisons without treatment etc.

Sending some prisoners to Dutch prisons (including a prison boat, iirc) is one of the best things that's happened to the Belgian penal system in years. Sadly it's only a temporary relief, and it's been cancelled (and resumed) several times.

Re: Dutch prison crisis: A shortage of prisoners

#15
> Frans Carbo, the prison guards' representative from the FNV union, says his members are "angry and a little bit depressed". Young people don't want to join the prison service he adds "because there is no future in it any more - you never know when your prison will be closed".

Well this truly sounds abhorrent.

Re: Dutch prison crisis: A shortage of prisoners

#16
post #11

It's not a lack of crime that causes it but a lack of solved crimes. Violent crimes for example, if a violent crime gets reported in Germany they solve the crime in 80% of the cases but in Holland just 40%. People organise neighbourhood watch WhatsApp groups to prevent crime instead of relying on the police to fix things. Within ten years these groups will probably grow into armed and organised right-wing groups. And…

I've lived in the Netherlands for over 20 years in 5 different cities (in a small town like Geldermalsen as well as Amsterdam) and I have never experienced anything like that..

In all the places I've lived I (and everyone around me) always felt extremely safe.

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EDIT: those are some weird sources:

- first link is a dutch website called "Germany institute". It doesn't say anything about 40% non solvency (or 80% solvency in Germany).

- second link talks about how neighbourhood watches have grown five fold, to a whapping 661 watches over 17 million people.

- third link is a belgium website talking about an extreme right winged finnish watch that has been to the netherlands one time.

Re: Dutch prison crisis: A shortage of prisoners

#17
post #11

It's not a lack of crime that causes it but a lack of solved crimes. Violent crimes for example, if a violent crime gets reported in Germany they solve the crime in 80% of the cases but in Holland just 40%. People organise neighbourhood watch WhatsApp groups to prevent crime instead of relying on the police to fix things. Within ten years these groups will probably grow into armed and organised right-wing groups. And…

I've lived in the Netherlands my whole life. It is true that the solved crime rate is pretty low, but the rest of your comment is complete nonsense.

Re: Dutch prison crisis: A shortage of prisoners

#18
post #11

It's not a lack of crime that causes it but a lack of solved crimes. Violent crimes for example, if a violent crime gets reported in Germany they solve the crime in 80% of the cases but in Holland just 40%. People organise neighbourhood watch WhatsApp groups to prevent crime instead of relying on the police to fix things. Within ten years these groups will probably grow into armed and organised right-wing groups. And…

Any data to back that up? I've lived all my live in Amsterdam and this is the first time I've heard of this. It sounds made up.

Re: Dutch prison crisis: A shortage of prisoners

#19
Dutch national here. I'm pretty sure this is largely due to lenient prison sentences, no prison sentences at all for minor offences, and unsolved crimes.

The cold-blooded convicted killer of the frontrunner in the Dutch elections in 2002 was released after 12 years, something which is unthinkable in other countries.

Re: Dutch prison crisis: A shortage of prisoners

#20
Yeah, no wonder - you rape somebody here and you have to clean the streets for a week. If you're unlucky that is.

Police officers are too busy with mobile speed controls. They don't (dare) arrest anybody who's foul-mouthing them in their face. They have become laughing stock.

Crime sentences (duration) are deplorable. Solved crime rates are way too low.

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