Extra measures to tackle capacity problems in prisons

News item | 15-03-2024 | 14:24

Minister Weerwind of Legal Protection is taking additional measures to address the capacity shortage in prisons. Due to staff shortages at the Custodial Institutions Agency (DJI), two additional temporary emergency measures have been put into effect. People who have outstanding sentences of up to two months have to serve their sentences at a later date. In addition, inmates are sometimes sent home on Friday when they would have been released over the weekend or on Monday. Minister Weerwind writes this in a letter to the House of Representatives.

These additional measures are taken in addition to not summoning persons reporting themselves to prison since 6 December 2023. Currently, 330 cells at DJI are not usable as there are no staff available to man them. Detainees cannot be properly transferred due to the shortage at prisons, so police cells are also full.

Minister Weerwind: “These measures are necessary to prevent unsafe situations. Full prisons and too few staff is unsafe for staff and inmates. I will not let that happen. In addition, it should not be the case that crime goes unpunished or that the police arrest you in the act and then cannot find a place for you because the police cells are completely full. That is why I have to make these painful but necessary choices.”

In July 2024, there will be a review of whether the temporary emergency measures can be terminated. In addition to the ongoing approach to recruit staff, the following measures are necessary for this purpose:

• Allow more inmates to serve part of their sentence in a Limited Security Unit (BBA). This is a ward in or near a prison where inmates are placed who are eligible for reintegration leave for work outside the walls. 
• Improve transfer from detention to forensic care.
• Enable electronic monitoring at the end of the detention period in specific cases.
• Prevent detention as a substitute penalty by improving implementation of community service sentences.

These measures should ensure that arrestees can be arrested again and persons reporting themselves to prison can be summoned again. Sentences imposed are always carried out. It is in the interest of both victims and convicts that this is done as soon as possible. The measures are in force until the end of 2025. If measures can be terminated earlier, electronic monitoring will be the first.

Structural solutions for capacity 

In addition to the measures announced above, we are working hard to find a structural solution to the lack of capacity. To this end, we are working out the possibility of reducing staff deployment through robotisation. Finally, we are exploring the possibilities of building new prisons which require fewer staff.