Dutch Minister for Legal Protection responds to dissertation on pre-trial detention of juveniles
On 6 March 2018, the Dutch Minister for Legal Protection, Mr. Dekker, responded to the Ph.D. dissertation ‘Voorlopige hechtenis in het Nederlandse jeugdstrafrecht’ (‘Pre-trial detention in the Dutch juvenile justice system’) in a Letter to Parliament.
The dissertation is written – and successfully defended on 25 January 2018 – by Dr. Yannick van den Brink, Assistant Professor at the Department of Child Law, Leiden Law School.
The Minister’s letter is a response to questions asked by a Member of Parliament, who expressed concerns based on the outcomes of Van den Brink’s Ph.D. research. He asked the Minister whether child suspects are sufficiently protected against unlawful and arbitrary pre-trial detention.
According to the Minister, the dissertation sends out an important signal. He welcomes the dissertation and emphasizes the importance of sufficient alternatives to pre-trial detention and effective legal safeguards for child suspects.
For an English summary of the dissertation, click here.