Parliamentary questions following PhD research on secure youth care institutions
GroenLinks member of the Dutch House of Representatives Lisa Westerveld has put forward parliamentary questions in response to the dissertation by Maria de Jong-de Kruif, who was awarded a doctorate degree on 7 March 2019 following her research on secure youth care institutions.
De Jong-de Kruijf concluded in her research that judges often order detention in a secure youth care institution because there is no appropriate alternative. Judges often have serious doubts whether secure residential care is the right place for certain children.
The questions from Westerveld and co-petitioners Kathalijne Buitenweg (GL) and Kees van der Staaij (SGP) are aimed at Minister De Jonge of Health, Welfare and Sport and Minister Dekker of the Ministry for Legal Protection. Among other things, the trio want to know whether the members of government think it is acceptable that measures are applied which deprive children of their liberty because of the lack of alternatives.
Westerveld also wants to know what the ministers think of the proposal by De Jong-De Kruijf to establish more small-scale residential groups offering specific treatments and whether they are prepared to follow that advice.
Nieuwsuur
On 28 February 2019 Maria de Jong-de Kruijf spoke about her research on Dutch news programme Nieuwsuur.
'Kinderrechters hebben vaak geen alternatief dan gesloten jeugdzorg'