Prisoners convicted of violent crimes and sex offenses face reintegration backlog

Detainees who have been convicted of a serious violent crime or sexual offense have to wait longer and longer for reintegration leave. Due to stricter rules, they are only allowed to go on leave after both a risk assessment and a criminal analysis have been made by specialized psychologists. A waiting list has arisen partly due to the complex problems of this group of detainees, but also due to the shortage of psychologists.

The office of Legal Protection Minister Franc Weerwind confirmed this on Friday after reporting by NRC. Due to these stricter rules regarding leave, detainees cannot go on leave, which then has a negative effect on their reintegration. The country's office of correctional institutions, DJI, told the newspaper that the waiting times are caused by a regulation regarding temporarily absence that was written too broadly.

The rules were indeed tightened in 2019, after the parliamentary debate on the 2017 murder of Anne Faber and the court case of Michael P., who confessed and was convicted of her murder, said Weerwind's spokesperson.

P. was able to commit the murder of Faber while he was in a forensic clinic, but was allowed to leave the site for three hours every day. This led to political and social unrest and indignation.

The risk assessment and offense analysis are not only made to assess whether reintegration leave is justified for detainees who have been convicted of a serious violent or sexual crime, said Weerwind's spokesperson. This also happens with detainees who have to be transferred to a forensic care institution for a serious violent or sex-related crime because they need specific care or treatment.