Dutch prisons too full, convicts to get early release to make space

The prisons and police holding cells are so full in the Netherlands that there is no space for more detainees or arrestees from this week onwards. This is why detainees are allowed to leave three days before the end of their sentence. State Secretary for Justice Ingrid Coenradie called it "a code black situation" in the prison system.

She said that this measure is “unavoidable.” She also expects the number of days that prisoners can be sent home before the end of their sentence to increase soon. By letting prisoners leave earlier, new space is being made for new detainees.

“I have done everything I can to prevent prisons from becoming full. To find extra capacity and come up with other solutions,” said State Secretary for Justice and Security Ingrid Coenradie.

The PVV politician claimed she exhausted all available means to avoid the situation, and said that she is disturbed this option seems to be the only way to continue sending newly-convicted defendants to prison and to detain those upon arrest.

She said that her top priority is holding those people who have been arrested on suspicion of committing a crime. “That is crucial for our constitutional state,” Coenradie wrote.

Earlier releases should be done for as short a time as possible. In principle, every detainee is eligible for an early release, but there are also exceptions. It does not apply to people who have to serve a sentence of up to seven days, nor does it apply to detainees who have been order to follow mandatory psychiatric treatment following their prison sentence.

According to the Ministry of Justice, the cells are full because there is a lack of capacity. There has been a major staff shortage for some time in the sector, which is why measures were taken earlier.

The ministry also pointed out that longer sentences are being handed out, and more people are being ordered to follow mandatory psychiatric treatment.

Successive Cabinets since at least 2013 have tried to shutter prisons and juvenile facilities citing a reduction in crime, and lower sentences given by courts. That is in stark contrast to jammed prisons and overcrowded facilities in the Netherlands in the 1990s.

More recently, the previous and current Cabinets have demanded harsher prison sentences on a variety of crimes to address their severity, but also to make it possible for more consideration for aggravating factors, connection to organized crime, or a link to terrorism. These can lead to substantially higher prison terms.