There is so little crime in the Netherlands that the prisons are becoming empty.

A study by the European Journal of Criminology revealed that between 2005 and 2015, the Dutch inmate inhabitancy was nearly halved, resulting in the closure of more than 23 jails since 2014.

According to the Justice Ministry´s WODC Research and Documentation Centre, the number of prison sentences in the Netherlands fell from 42,000 in 2008 to 31,000 in 2018; there are now only 54,4 per 100,000 inhabitants beyond bars. With so few Dutch prisoners, some of the facilities had been leased to Norway and Belgium, while others have been reused for refugee housing, temporary asylums, and even remodeled hotels.

How the Netherlands achieve empty prisons and low crime rates

One key factor contributing to the Netherlands´ shortage of prisoners is the effective rehabilitation system in place, known as TBS. In 2018, as many as 1,300 people were registered under a TBS ruling, granted a stay in treatment centres, at times following a jail term, with the psychological treatment of the issues which prompted the criminal offenses. 

With these rehabilitations, the matters including personality disorders, addictions and financial problems are addressed, as judges assess whether the treatment should be extended; the average stay is two years. A forensic psychologist Hommo Folkerts explained to the Press; “We work on two aims; preventing another crime, and on psychiatric suffering and the social problems that come with it.” 

A TBS psychologist Miriam van Driel also highlighted the power of rehabilitation; “The way you treat people – also in prison – makes a big difference in how they return to society. If you treat them like dogs, people will behave like dogs but if you treat them as human beings, they will behave like human beings.

Another factor is shorter sentences for non-violent crimes. A senior researcher at the Dutch Study Centre for Crime and Law Enforcement Peter van der Laan said to the Press that 55 per cent of all custodial sentences in the Netherlands are for less than one month; three-quarters are shorter than three months.

Moreover, instead of detaining people in cells, the Dutch authorities ensure that the guilty conform to legal restrictions including geographical boundaries and curfews by using electronic tagging; a new alternative to prison sentences. With these devices, the authorities can supervise the offenders and prevent future crimes. 

“In the Dutch service we look at the individual,” said Roelof Van der Spoel, deputy governor of Norgerhaven, a high-security prison in the Netherlands.

Can other countries adopt the Dutch low crime rate and empty prisons? 

Meanwhile, countries in Europe and the UK are bustling with prisoners, struggling to provide for prisons. The UK´s new Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer appointed the CEO of the Prison Reform Trust James Timpson as the minister for prisons, parole, and probation, eager to make significant changes in the prison system. Timpson is known for visiting prisons and interviewing offenders regularly; fighting for quality rehabilitation in the UK´s prisons.

He had said that one in nine of his workforce is a former offender and that in his view, only a third of people in prisons should actually be there. With Timpson´s focus on psychological support and the leading example by the Netherlands, the UK may face an improved future with a smaller prison population; a goal that has proven achievable.