Corné H.’s lawyers are relieved that their client is finally in the Van Mesdag Clinic for TBS treatment. But how that happened worries them. According to Jan-Jesse Lieftink and Petra Breukink, this case shows that not only waiting lists are a problem, but that the entire TBS chain is stuck. “Problems reinforce each other,” says Lieftink.
“It is of course good that H. is now getting the treatment he needs,” says Lieftink. “But the road to get there shows that a lot goes wrong.” H., who took three employees of the prison in Vught hostage in December and previously employees of a café in Ede, was held in the PI for a long time without appropriate care. His lawyers fought for months to get him placed. They had to deal with many different parties.
‘Everyone has their own interests’
According to Lieftink, that is where the problem lies. In H.’s case, the Public Prosecution Service, the prison, the ministry and a number of TBS clinics were involved. “If you look at how that collaboration went, it wasn’t very good,” he says.
According to Lieftink and Breukink, each party mainly looks at its own interests. “For example, the Public Prosecution Service wants to prosecute, a clinic has its own rules and the prison says that someone can also be treated there. All in all, this actually causes delays,” says Lieftink. As a result, it took a long time before a solution was found, while many parties agreed that H. belonged in a TBS clinic.
The lawyer said last week in Omroep Brabant’s VRIJDAG program that H. is unpredictable. This is due to autism, PTSD and personality problems. While peeling a pear in prison in Vught, H. got voices in his head and overpowered the staff with a paring knife.
‘Problem in the entire chain’
The lawyers emphasize that the problem is much bigger than just the waiting list for TBS places. According to them, the entire chain is stuck: from inflow to flow to outflow. “It’s not just about people waiting to come in,” says Lieftink. “It also gets stuck within the clinics and after that.”
For example, people sometimes stay in a TBS clinic for an unnecessarily long time because there is no follow-up place. Others wait years for assisted living or their own home. “I have clients who have been waiting for five years for a follow-up location, because it still has to be built,” says the TBS lawyer. It also happens that someone has already completed treatment, but still remains because there is no home available. “Then TBS is always extended, just because there is no home.”
According to him, problems do not solve each other, but rather become worse. If people do not move on, fewer places will become available. And as a result, the waiting list continues to grow.
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Corné H.’s lawyer previously explained in the podcast ‘Crime Explained – in court’ why Corné H. had to go to a TBS clinic as soon as possible:
The lawyers therefore argue for a new approach. Not just another individual measure, but a look at the entire system. “We need a task force that looks at the entire chain in an overarching manner,” says Lieftink.
According to him, such a group should consist of people from practice, for example from clinics, the judiciary and healthcare. They must look together at how all parts can fit together better. “You have to turn all the buttons at the same time,” he says. “Otherwise it will continue to get stuck.”
Worried about the future
For Corné H. himself, the placement is an important step forward. Now that he is in a TBS clinic, the treatment he needs can begin. The criminal case regarding the hostage situation in Vught is still ongoing. “It’s good that he has been placed. The judge now has to come from a very good background to say that he has to go back to prison,” says Lieftink.
Yet lawyers are less optimistic about the future. “It is good that Corné ultimately succeeded,” says Lieftink. “But if this is how the system works, then we really need to change it.”
The Van Mesdag Clinic did not respond to questions from Omroep Brabant.
Here you can read all the stories about the hostage situation in the PI in Vught.