Cell sharing is not the solution for shortage of prison cells
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Prison staff are working under high pressure. The current proposal for cell sharing is the final straw. Associate Professor Esther van Ginneken appeared on Dutch news programme ‘Nieuwsuur’: ‘Serious incidents have occurred, including the murder of a cellmate.’
For some time now, there have been a cell and staff shortages in Dutch prisons. In December, the cabinet decided to release prisoners three days earlier to make more room for other prisoners. Now, a plan is on the table to release prisoners a fortnight earlier to solve the cell and staff shortages. But PVV, the largest party in the coalition government, strictly opposes this. Their solution is to put more people in one cell, for example by adding a bunk bed
This proposal is feared by prison staff, who are already under severe pressure as there is not enough staff. Van Ginneken conducted research on cell sharing: ‘There have been serious incidents. Like the murder of a cellmate by someone who was not suited for cell sharing. In another incident, a prisoner poured boiling water over their cellmate.' According to the associate professor, community service and ankle tags are a possible solution to the problem: ‘If you think about who could wear an ankle tag, you can potentially free up a lot of space.’
More information?
Watch the full Nieuwsuur broadcast (in Dutch)
Read the full NOS article (in Dutch)