Nearly 160 prison workers fired for intergrity violations in four years

Nearly 160 prison workers fired for corruption, relationships with detainees in four years

From 2020 to 2023, nearly 160 prison employees in the Netherlands were dismissed for corruption, smuggling drugs or phones into prison, having a relationship with a detainee, or leaking sensitive information. Another 170 were punished in other ways, RTL Nieuws reports based on its own research.

Hundreds of reports of misconduct were filed against prison employees in that four-year period. Sometimes, it involved human error, like failing to close a cell door properly. Other cases left prison staff susceptible to bribery or blackmail by inmates, according to the broadcaster. The broadcaster counted 39 disciplinary dismissals in 202, 45 in 2021, 31 in 2022, and 43 in 2023.

There were 77 cases of guards having unauthorized contact with detainees. They transferred money for them or had a sexual relationship with them. There were also 41 reports of guards smuggling drugs or telephones into prison.

When prison workers grant favors to inmates or become susceptible to blackmail, it can facilitate “continued criminal behavior in detention.” For example, convicts can continue dealing drugs or even plan assassinations from their cells.

VVD parliamentarian Ulysse Ellian, who has conducted extensive research into misconduct in prisons, called the number of dismissals serious. “The prison employee has a crucial position and is literally the key from the inside to the outside or vice versa. So the fact that so many employees have been dismissed due to integrity violations should not be taken lightly,” he told the broadcaster.