EU country attempting to export prisoners as jails are overloaded with inmates

The Netherlands is looking into sending some of its convicted criminals to foreign jails because of the shortage of prison staff at home. 

Some 2,000 people in the Netherlands are currently out of jail, even though they should be behind bars, because there is nowhere for them to go.

The State Secretary for Justice, Ingrid Coenradie, said in a letter to parliament on Wednesday that she considers "the current situation difficult to accept".

She said it is necessary "to implement additional measures as soon as possible so that sentences that have not yet been carried out can take place, especially when it comes to crimes involving victims".

Coenradie added: "I am thinking of sexual offences and domestic violence: for the victims of these crimes, in particular, it is difficult to understand that sentences are postponed. 

"Given the constant high pressure on capacity in the Department of Corrections (DJI), this will only be possible in the short term if space is created within existing capacity. I will have to make very difficult choices between different groups."

Since autumn, there has been an acute shortage of capacity in Dutch prisons due to, among other things, a lack of staff, increased occupancy and a significant lengthening of the stay of juveniles and patients under psychiatric treatment.

Dutch prisons hold some 9,000 detainees and today there are more than 2,000 inmates at liberty when they should be serving their sentence.

The Secretary of State reacted to a report with testimonies from relatives of murdered people, or rape victims, who regret not being able to turn the page knowing that the perpetrators are not behind bars.

"I am doing everything I can to find ways to free up cells so that (released) convicts and those arrested can serve their sentences," Coenradie pledged.

The Secretary of State is exploring the possibility of a more austere prison regime requiring fewer staff and a redistribution of prisoners, because "by placing limited-risk detainees (with short sentences) in an environment that fits those risks, space is freed up in the higher security areas for higher-risk detainees."

She explained: "In addition, I am actively seeking solutions at the international level, such as the execution of prison sentences for certain groups abroad.

"The past shows that it is possible to reach (treaty) agreements between countries for this: prisoners from Belgium and Norway have been placed in the Netherlands. So I am seriously investigating what the possibilities are for the Netherlands to make agreements with other EU states."