Legal Infrastructure of the Netherlands in International Perspective: Crime Control

• NCJ Number: 198309
• Author(s): Frans van Dijk; Jaap de Waard
• Date Published: June 2000
• Length: 60 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Netherlands Ministerie Van Justice
• Sale Source: Netherlands Ministerie Van Justice
• Publication Format: Book (Softbound)
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: Netherlands

Annotation

This report compares the legal infrastructure of the Netherlands with those of nine other countries, with attention to the infrastructure for crime control.

Abstract

The nine reference countries are comparable societies in both economic and socio-cultural respects, and all the countries have well-developed legal systems. The reference countries are Austria, Denmark, France, Germany, Sweden, the United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, and the United States. The comparison uses quantitative data to link the nature and volume of crime with the efforts of the public sector to fight crime. Issues analyzed are the nature and volume of crime, environmental factors that contribute to crime, and the public prevention and repression of crime. Compared with the nine reference countries, the Netherlands has a substantial amount of crime, but occupies a middle position in the rate of serious crimes against persons. The Netherlands has a comparatively low level of corruption in the public sector, but has a relatively high rate of less serious crimes against persons and businesses. Environmental factors that fuel crime in the Netherlands are primarily the high level of urbanization and the high volume of the international flow of goods, services, and financial transactions. These factors are likely to worsen instead of improve in the future. Given this circumstance, the Netherlands must mount greater efforts to prevent and repress crime if it is to achieve the same crime rate as the reference countries. Given the relatively high level of overall crime in the Netherlands, the joint efforts of the public and private sectors are apparently insufficient to bring crime to the average level of the reference countries. There needs to be an increase in the per capita level of expenditures to control crime, and leadership must be exercised to achieve greater participation by private citizens and businesses in crime prevention measures. Among these efforts should be the use of a higher number of private security officers. 70 tables and 110 references