U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEMS IN EUROPE: THE NETHERLANDS

NCJ Number
142492
Author(s)
P J P Tak
Date Published
1993
Length
64 pages
Annotation
This report describes the history and structure of the criminal justice system and criminal laws in the Netherlands.
Abstract
Individual chapters present background information on the demographics and economy of the country, the main components of the criminal code and the juvenile code, procedural law, the structure of the court system, and the basic principles of criminal procedure. Additional chapters describe case processing from the pretrial phase through the trial, sentencing and the system of sanctions, the use of suspended sentences and probation, the prison system, aftercare for inmates, plans for reform, and criminal justice statistics. An introduction notes that the Dutch criminal justice system has long been famous for its mildness; however, major changes in Dutch society require a new criminal policy. The proposed policy would implement a step-by-step approach to increase the level of criminal law enforcement and intensify crime prevention activities. Footnotes, tables, and 13 references