News item | 15-12-2025 | 10:00
With a new healthcare measure, the government wants to help people who exhibit confused, unpredictable and dangerous behavior more quickly. When they commit a criminal offense, punishment alone is often not enough. Then the right psychological care is also needed. A small but vulnerable group of people sometimes fall through the cracks here. The new healthcare measure provides the judge with an additional tool to help this group receive appropriate care and security more quickly.
State Secretary for Justice and Security Arno Rutte: “Sometimes punishment alone is not enough to keep our society safe. For a small group of people who pose a danger to themselves or others, appropriate help can be more effective. With this measure we are giving judges additional tools to provide that help. This makes our society safer.”
With the new care measure, the judge will soon be able to have someone admitted to a secure forensic clinic for a maximum of two years. There, someone receives the intensive care they need and at the same time safety on the street is better guaranteed. The underlying problems and the offense committed by people from the target group are often too mild for admission to TBS, but too serious for placement in regular care. This concerns people who exhibit confused behavior, have a need for care and pose a high safety risk. The new healthcare measure will go into consultation in the first half of 2026.
Work agenda
The new care measure is part of the Working Agenda for the connection between forensic care and regular care, in which the Ministries of Justice and Security and Health, Welfare and Sport work together with parties in the field to better connect regular and forensic care.