“Remarkable, but good news for the North.” This is how former director Harry Dijkstra of the youth prison in Veenhuizen reacts to the reopening of the penal institution for criminal youth.
Dijkstra was director of the Elker youth prison in Veenhuizen when it had to close its gates at the end of December 2020. The last fifty of the hundred employees went home with cake and a Christmas gift. “It was in the middle of corona time, we waved to each other from the car, very strange.” The reason for closure was the overcapacity of shelters for young criminals.
The former director was surprised when he heard the news on Thursday that Minister Weerwind of Legal Protection wants to reopen the youth prison in Veenhuizen more than 2.5 years after its closure. “Remarkable, but good for the North. You can say that an incorrect assessment was made at the time.” The minister wants to house seventy juvenile delinquents in Veenhuizen, who will enter the youth prison in phases next spring.
Dijkstra and his staff then vehemently opposed the closure of the only youth prison in the North. They received support from parents of juvenile delinquents, care providers, lawyers and regional politicians. The young criminals from the three northern provinces now had to go to Lelystad and Nijmegen, which had adverse consequences for their return to society. Parents, care providers and lawyers had to travel much further to reach them. And specialist knowledge about the treatment of juvenile delinquents disappeared from the North.
Recruit personnel
The hundred employees of Elker in Veenhuizen have all found a job again. “In youth care or with the justice system,” says Dijkstra, who himself ended up in immigration detention with the justice system. To reopen the youth prison, new staff will have to be recruited. “I would start recruiting like crazy, because personnel specialized as pedagogical employees in youth care are not easy to find. On the other hand, you can work in a unique sector. The youth prison is a great place for people who want to take a step up in youth care.”