NCJ Number
173754
Date Published
1995
Length
8 pages
Annotation
The judicial system in the Netherlands is under pressure since crime has significantly increased over the past 20 years and has strained the judicial system's capacity.
Abstract
In response, the Netherlands has attempted to keep routine matters outside the scope of criminal law and instead handle them in alternative ways and has also decentralized operational responsibility for the judicial process to enable policy formulation and implementation to be more separate. The integration of computer systems is being emphasized to make better use of policy and control information. Judicial system development within the context of criminal law has required inclusive thinking, involvement, and responsibility at a high level. As an important information manager, law enforcement is responsible for formulating standards to avoid fragmentation and lack of coherence. Social, political-administrative, and infrastructure contexts of computerization in the Netherlands are discussed. Trends in the judicial system are examined with respect to the increasing pressure on the system due to crime, the decentralization of responsibilities, and information supply and system development. The growing need for managing information throughout the judicial system is recognized.