NETHERLANDS CLOSING PRISONS FOR 'LACK OF CRIMINALS'

Discussions are dominated by definitions.

Sometimes the severity you sense depends on what you think the problem
is.

Take the Netherlands for example. They are closing
prisons.

You'll never guess why.

They don't have enough criminals to fill them.

At least that's the story of Justice State Secretary Nebahat Albayrak.
"Currently, there is detention capacity of some 14,000 cell places,
while according to the estimates there is a need for about 12,000
cells. This overcapacity is expected to continue for some years," she
said while almost certainly clogging about in wooden shoes. "The cell
surplus is caused by falling crime in general and more serious crime
in particular."

Thus, the ruling parties have developed a plan to remove 2,000 of the
country's 14,000 prison cells. That's a plan that the more
conservative minded Dutch legislators call crazy. They even say that
violent crime is increasing in the land where the legend of Santa
Claus was born.

That depends on what you call crime.

The Dutch don't criminalize euthanasia, many illicit drugs, or even
prostitution.

They are known for their windmills, gouda cheese, tulips and
tolerance.

If nothing is illegal, then you'll obviously have fewer prisoners. Not
only do they have a liberal mind when it comes to crime, they also
take a soft view on punishment.

Many people who are convicted of crimes spend no time in jails -
helping to keep the cells empty.

They slap an ankle band on them and assign them to community
service.

The argument has detractors on both ends of the political spectrum
which leads me to believe they might be doing the right thing.

The far right believe they are weak on crime. The far left don't want
to close the prisons because people could lose their government jobs.

Don't let the Dutch convince you that all of Europe is leaning toward
leniency. Belgium is already making plans to send 500 of their
prisoners to help fill those vacant cells.

It's an interesting argument. Are Dutch people becoming more civil or
is their society becoming more tolerant of incivility?