Higher fines for criminals

The Public Prosecution Service (Openbaar Ministerie) wants to raise fines for small-time criminals and corrupt businesses. This, according to Attorney General Marc van Nimwegen in an interview with de Volkskrant. He says a prison sentence alone is not enough. Small-time criminals are only affected once their money is taken away, van Nimwegen says. Van Nimwegen is one of the four magistrates who form the head of the Public Prosecution Service. "The cell sentence comes from a time when one's individual freedom was the greatest good in society. Meanwhile, we live in an unbelievably materialistic world driven by money. You really only hurt them when you take their money." Many small-time criminals see cell sentences as a calculated risk of the trade. "Of course they don't like to be in a cell during Christmas, but criminals take that risk into account", the Attorney General says. According to him, it often happens that prisoners continue their business from inside the cell. Van Nimwegen, one of the executives of justice and responsible for the 'picking' if criminals, things that judges should follow that line. "Crime can not reward. Moreover, we want to compensate victims financially as much as possible."