While many countries struggle with overcrowded prisons, the Netherlands faces a unique challenge: too few prisoners. Unlike the UK and other countries, the Dutch prison system is struggling with empty cells due to low crime rates.
according to a The BBC reports, In the past few years, 19 prisons have closed and more are due to close next year. How did this happen and why do some people consider it a problem? A decade ago, the Netherlands had the highest incarceration rate in Europe, but it now boasts one of the lowest.
An empty prison was converted into a luxury hotel south of Amsterdam, with the four most expensive suites named The Lawyer, The Judge, The Governor and The Jailer. But other prisons have been turned into asylum reception centres, where some former prison guards have found work.
according to The Guardian, Since 2014, 23 prisons have been closed, converted into temporary asylum centres, accommodation and hotels. The country has Europe’s third lowest incarceration rate, at 54.4 per 100,000 inhabitants. According to the Ministry of Justice’s WODC Research and Documentation Centre, the number of prison sentences fell from 42,000 in 2008 to 31,000 in 2018, with prison terms for young offenders falling by two-thirds. Registered crimes fell by 40% over the same period, to 785,000 in 2018.
Miranda Boon, a criminology professor at Leiden University, has studied the decline in prison populations. “There is no doubt that prison populations have fallen substantially over the past 13 years – an astonishing development that is unprecedented in the Western world,” she says.
Interestingly, an empty prison south of Amsterdam was converted into a luxury hotel, with four premium suites named The Lawyer, The Judge, The Governor and The Jailer. Meanwhile, other empty prisons were converted into asylum reception centers, providing employment opportunities for former prison guards. This creative reuse of space reflects the Netherlands’ unique approach to overcoming a shortage of prisoners.