News item | 07-03-2025 | 17:00
Since the autumn of 2023, the Judicial Institutions Agency (DJI) has been struggling with a serious capacity problem. Over the past eight months, State Secretary Coenradie of Justice and Security has put everything in place to create extra capacity without extra money. This has led to a trend break with the past.
In order to get structurally more air in the prisons, the Council of Ministers approved the following new measures on the proposal of State Secretary Coenradie:
- Where possible, more detainees are placed together in a cell with a fellow detainee, provided that this is possible responsibly and safely for the staff of DJI. This effort will ensure more than 100 extra places this year.
- It will be explored whether an emergency can also be opened next year in the PI Zuid-Oost (location Ter Peel). That must yield 60 extra places. It concerns temporary places with a lower security level.
- DJI is also investigating whether former Jeugdzorgplus institutions can be transformed into a juvenile prison. In the long term it would be possible to move the young adults who are now staying in the prison system to a JJI. The departments in Pi Zeist and Pi Almelo can then be used for adults and are also suitable as locations for multi -person cells.
- In the longer term, it will be explored whether the PI Almere can be reopened and the construction of the Vlissingen judicial complex has been completed.
- In addition, DJI continues to work very hard on reducing the staff shortage. In April a department will be reopened of around 30 places in Pi Nieuwegein. This department was previously closed due to staff shortage.
Despite these considerable efforts and new measures, the pressure on the prison system remains too high in the short term. To illuminate the pressure and prevent random releases, DJI is given the space to send prisoners with a criminal offense of a maximum of one year, with the exception of sex offenders and perpetrators of serious violent crimes, up to 14 days earlier. This always happens with customization and as an extreme emergency measure.
State Secretary Coenradie: “I am happy that we create more capacity with multi -person cells as quickly as possible. Despite this enormous effort, I still stand with my back to the wall and I have to make very painful choices. But without this procedure, police cells remain overcrowded and suspects and convicted people threaten to be released randomly. I cannot and do not want to accept that scenario. At the same time, I work with DJI hard to find sustainable solutions, but I cannot open cells and staff. ”
State Secretary Coenradie already wrote in a letter to Parliament last December that there is a ‘black black’ situation in the prison system and that sending it earlier was a real option. In concrete terms, ‘Black code’ means an occupation of over 99.5% at the Judicial Institutions (DJI) department and that structural arrestors are left at police agencies. In addition, there is a rising stock of detainees and self -detectors who still have to serve their punishment. First this capacity problem mainly came through too few staff, now it is mainly a shortage of cells. This is due to a rising occupation due to longer detention and an increase in TBS passengers and young adults in the prison system. The shortage is also even greater due to planned renovations.