News item | 23-09-2022 | 4:00 pm
In the coming years, the government will invest an additional 210 million euros in the Judicial Institutions Service (DJI). As a result, DJI’s budget will grow from 2.8 billion euros in 2022 to 3.1 billion euros in 2027. This investment is necessary because DJI’s current budget is insufficiently calculated for the costs of ICT, (sustainable) housing and personnel. The heavier population in detention and forensic care also puts extra pressure on the budget.
In recent years, this has been responded to by mainly taking incidental measures and postponing investments. However, in addition to the investment of 210 million euros, there is still a deficit of 187 million euros. Measures are being taken to resolve this and, in the long term, it is being examined how the sanction system can be improved. In this way, DJI can continue to perform its tasks for the safety of its employees, individuals and society in a qualitatively responsible manner. The Council of Ministers has agreed to this on a proposal from Minister Weerwind for Legal Protection.
The following measures are taken:
- The number of prison places will be frozen at the current level of 11,100. In practice, the last two years have shown a considerably lower occupancy rate than predicted in the estimates. If the required capacity exceeds the available indoor capacity, suitable detainees can be placed in the (cheaper) Restricted Security Department, for example. Convicts with a low-risk assessment with a so-called self-report status could await their detention at home until there is room.
- The personal contribution of clients for their stay in forensic care will be reintroduced. It is an income-related contribution. If a litigant has no income, no personal contribution will be requested.
- The renovations of DJI locations will continue, but the sustainability will focus on those measures that are required by law.
- Savings are made on the costs of office accommodation and external hiring and the slow growth of the training budgets for DJI staff. This is possible because part of the training costs have already been paid from undermining funds.
In addition to taking measures in the short term, it is necessary to look in the long term at possibilities for improvements and further development in the sanction system and the application of sanctions. For serious crimes, detention is the only appropriate punishment, but for less serious crimes, there are opportunities to apply more customization with new or additional sentences. The use of an ankle bracelet can, for example, ensure that someone can keep his work and home. The maximum number of community service hours could also be increased, or the learning penalty could be (re)introduced. In a training order, community service is combined with learning, so that someone can, for example, obtain a diploma, more opportunities on the labor market can arise and the chance of paying compensation to a victim can be increased. Minister Weerwind is discussing this with the professional field, the exploration of which will be sent to the House of Representatives before the summer of 2023.