Netherlands closes eight prisons

The Netherlands is shutting down eight prisons due to shortage of prisoners. A drop in crime has left many cells empty. Thomas Hawk/flickr The closure of the prisons will result to 1,200 job losses in the prison system across the country. Back in the 1990s, the country experienced a shortage of prison cells due to an overcrowded prison system. At present, the country has 12,000 detainees with a 14,000 prisoner-capacity. The Dutch justice ministry anticipates the continuous decline in crime rate. The Netherlands has worked with Belgium in a deal to bring in 500 prisoners from Belgium to the country.