Bad Guys Needed: Netherlands Closes Prisons For Lack Of Business

[Jim Finnel]

Oh, to be Dutch.

In the Netherlands, prostitution and marijuana are legal, Heineken is the local brew, and Amsterdam is a bike-able international city with a huge selection of fine cheeses.

And now comes the news from the Dutch justice ministry that the crime rate is so low that it will close eight prisons and cut 1,200 jobs.

There are too few prisoners for its prison cells -- 12,000 detainees in a prison system that has capacity for 14,000.

America should have such problems. In California, where I live, federal judges have ordered the California prison system to reduce overcrowding by as many as 55,000 inmates within three years so the state can provide a constitutional level of medical and mental health care to the remaining prisoners. California has the nation's largest prison system with 150,000 inmates, or more than 12 times that of the Netherlands.

Layoffs should be prevented in the closing of prisons in the Netherlands, and some reprieve may come from a deal with neighboring Belgium to unload some of its overpopulated prisons. About 500 Belgian prisoners could be transferred to the Tilburg prison by 2010.

The deal would give the Netherlands 30 million euros, and allow the closing of the prisons in Rotterdam and Veenhuizen to be postponed until 2012.

Theories abound on why crime is so low in the Netherlands. The murder rate, for example, has been declining since the 1990s, when there were an average of 250 murders per year. The rate hit a record low in 2007 with 147. One idea is that decriminalizing drugs leads to less violent crimes, and that a passive approach works best.


News Hawk: User: 420 MAGAZINE ® - Medical Marijuana Publication & Social Networking
Source: WalletPop
Author: Aaron Crowe
Copyright: 2009 Weblogs, Inc.
Contact: WalletPop
Website: Bad guys needed: Netherlands closes prisons for lack of business

 

[merickson]

I can't see that their drug policies are what allows them to close prisons.

I suspect that the general attitude of the public leads to both liberal approaches to drugs/prostitution also lead to law abiding citizens.

 

[stewbacca6]

interesting point merickson

 

[Caber1]

And this is what countries like Canada and the U.S. don't seem to understand.
When you stop attacking your citizens you get a country that works together, instead of this "us against them" attitude.
War is war and it breeds violence, distrust and hate.

 

[trueblu8]

You must spread some reputation around before giving it to Caber1 again.

 

[atomicgreen]

And this is what countries like Canada and the U.S. don't seem to understand.
When you stop attacking your citizens you get a country that works together, instead of this "us against them" attitude.
War is war and it breeds violence, distrust and hate.

exactly. violence begets violence.
amerika is the most violent nation on earth
so their people are the most violent.
children learn by example.
violent tv violent people
solve all your problems with violence

 

[solidad]

Interesting. The population of the Netherlands is about 16.6 million versus about 37 million for California. The fact that California has 12 times more in prison suggests that California has an incarceration rate of more than 500% of the Netherlands.

Gee. Think that maybe a "War on Drugs" doesn't work?

 

[Jim Finnel]

.......Gee. Think that maybe a "War on Drugs" doesn't work?

its working fine if you depend on this 'war' for your income working in law enforcement or the prison industrial complex. it works well for fear mongering politicians pandering to fundamentalists. but the times they are a changin'.

 

[sicntired]

Oh, to be Dutch.As soon as the Amerikan prison industrial complex hears about this they'll throw another billion at lobbying congress for harsher laws and more prisons.This should be a good news story.Funny how I had to go to 420 to find it.

In the Netherlands, prostitution and marijuana are legal, Heineken is the local brew, and Amsterdam is a bike-able international city with a huge selection of fine cheeses.

And now comes the news from the Dutch justice ministry that the crime rate is so low that it will close eight prisons and cut 1,200 jobs.

There are too few prisoners for its prison cells -- 12,000 detainees in a prison system that has capacity for 14,000.
Message posted at start of quotes.
America should have such problems. In California, where I live, federal judges have ordered the California prison system to reduce overcrowding
This is just too funny.Wonder why you can't find the story in the major media?
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