Country

Netherlands

Detention issue

FRA research findings

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Legal instruments & key provisions

Legal instrument Key provision
Penitentiary Order (Penitentiaire maatregel)A daily programme of activities and visits must be available to detainees in pre-trial detention and post-trial detention.
Penitentiary Principles Act (Penitentiaire beginselenwet)In the final stage of their imprisonment, detainees with a sentence shorter than 1 year can participate in the penitentiary programme. A penitentiary programme consists of several activities through which the prison sentence is carried out outside the prison walls. The prisoner is outside the prison walls and is supervised by the probation service (possibly with an ankle bracelet). Conditions may be attached to the penitentiary programme. The penitentiary programme may last up to one-sixth of the imposed sentence. A penitentiary programme can therefore last up to eight weeks. The activities in a penitentiary programme are aimed at teaching social skills, increasing the chances of employment after release, providing education, offering specialist care, or otherwise give substance to the preparation for return to society.

NATIONAL PREVENTIVE MECHANISM RECOMMENDATIONS

Year Recommendation Report