Judiciary late in notifying dozens of violent crime victims about perpetrator's release

Last year the Ministry of Security and Justice had to apologize to 43 victims of violent crimes or their relatives for being late in informing them about their attacker's release, escape or leave. That is a significant increase compared to 2015, when 19 apologies were made, RTL Nieuws reports.

If an offender of a violent crime is released, his or her victims or their family members must be informed at least a week in advance, to prevent an unexpected encounter. Lawyer Sebas Diekstra, who got hold of the figures through the Freedom of Information Act, calls it a "disgrace" that the Ministry is still late so often.

Minister Stef Blok of Security and Justice recently promised to investigate how this process can be improved, to make sure that no more victims are informed late.