Empty prisons have been converted into asylum centres, where former guards find work.
While many countries struggle with overcrowded prisons, the Netherlands faces a unique challenge: too few prisoners. Unlike the UK and other countries, the Dutch prison system struggles with empty cells due to low crime rates.
According to a BBC report, In the past few years, 19 prisons have closed, with more scheduled to close next year. How did this happen, and why do some people think it’s a problem? A decade ago, the Netherlands had one of the highest incarceration rates in Europe, but now it claims one of the lowest.
One empty prison has been converted into a posh hotel south of Amsterdam, with its four most expensive suites called The Lawyer, The Judge, The Governor and The Jailer. But others, converted into asylum centres, have provided work for former prison guards.
According to The guard, Since 2014, 23 prisons have been closed and converted into temporary asylum centres, housing and hotels. The country has the third lowest incarceration rate in Europe, at 54.4 per 100,000 inhabitants. According to the WODC Research and Documentation Centre of the Ministry of Justice, the number of prison sentences imposed fell from 42,000 in 2008 to 31,000 in 2018, along with a two-thirds decrease in prison sentences for young offenders. Registered crimes fell by 40% over the same period, to 785,000 in 2018.
Miranda Boone, professor of criminology at Leiden University, has studied the decline in the prison population. “There is no doubt that the prison population has declined significantly over the past 13 years – an astonishing and unparalleled development in the Western world,” she says.
Interestingly, an empty prison in the south of Amsterdam was converted into a luxury hotel, with four premium suites aptly named The Lawyer, The Judge, The Governor and The Jailer. Meanwhile, other empty prisons were converted into asylum centres, employing former prison guards. This creative reuse of space reflects the Netherlands’ unique approach to tackling its prisoner shortage.
