The Netherlands: a Land without Prisons

 

Soaring crime rates and law-and-order backlash are hardly unique to the United States, but not all countries have taken the ‘lock-’em-up-and-throw-away-the-key’ approach. Many nations, in fact, have largely shelved the punitive psychology in dealing with criminals ‒ and none more forthrightly than Holland. The Dutch have adopted an innovative and remarkably humane system of dealing with law-breakers, with the result that the Netherlands is close to becoming a land without prisons. And the policy is apparently paying dividends: crime is certainly climbing much more slowly there than in all other countries.

 

The Dutch hold the view that harsh treatment and ‘get-tough’ attitudes only aggravate the problems that lead a person to crime. “A prison sentence does little to resocialise a person”, says Vice-President of the Hague Court. “It more likely leads to rancour and bitterness. A mild sentence, possibly even just a fine, shows an offender that society cares about him.” Because of this benevolent concept fewer and fewer people are serving time in Holland.

 

Whenever possible, the Dutch prefer to fine law-breakers rather than clap them in jail. But even for those imprisoned, every effort is made to provide an environment that will rehabilitate the convicts. While, as one official put it, “Dutch prisons are not Hilton Hotels,” neither are they ugly fortresses full of cellblocks and harassment. Several prisons in Holland are country villas with only a handful of prisoners. In many institutions prisoners are allowed to wear their own clothes and keep personal possessions; they are given comfortably furnished rooms with such homey items as curtains, and they often are allowed to work outside the prison or leave from time to time to visit their families.

 

Moreover, Holland has an extraordinary one-to-one ratio between prisoner staff members and inmates. “Our objective”, ‒ says the Deputy Prison Director, ‒ “is not to make life pleasant for prisoners, but to normalize it as much as possible to prepare the prisoners for a return to society”.

 

Dutch officials maintain that their philosophy of short prison sentences and humanitarian treatment is essential if convicts are not to become repeaters. “A heavy sentence,” ‒ they say, ‒ “keeps a person out of possible mischief longer, but it merely postpones and aggravates the problem of recidivism”.

 

Given that kind of success, it is not surprising that Holland’s liberal penal philosophy has won applause.

 

Dog Section

 

In 1946 the Metropolitan Police decided to look seriously at the possibility of using dogs for police work. By the end of that year there were six Labradors on the

 

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strength of the Service. These dogs and their handlers were given a thorough training course and then they were sent to work in Central London. They proved highly successful, especially in such areas as Hyde Park, and as a result, it was decided to use dogs throughout the Metropolitan Police District. Today there are over 300 operational dogs working in London.

 

The most popular dog for police work is the German Shepherd, commonly known as the Alsatian. Labradors and Spaniels are also used and are particularly effective in the field of narcotics and explosives detection.

 

Since 1960 the Metropolitan Police has been breeding many of its own dogs. During whelping the bitches and their puppies are cared for in the modem breeding block at the Dog Training Establishment at Keston in Kent.

 

Some of the adult dogs are either gifts or bought from the public. The main qualities required of a police dog are that it should be of a fine physique and good temperament. These dogs are originally kept at Keston for a period of one to three weeks to assess their health and working capabilities.

 

When a puppy is two months old it is allocated to a handler and goes to live at his or her home. This stage is very important as trust and affection form the basis of a good working relationship. The puppy returns with its handler to the training establishment every month for a check up. When the puppy is nine months old, it returns to Keston for a week’s training in basic obedience and nosework.

 

When the dog is a year old it spends twelve to fourteen weeks in training. It is taught to track a ground scent, to search different types of terrain such as open country, woodland and buildings for criminals and property and to give tongue, or ‘speak’, as soon as it finds what it has been seeking. It is also taught to chase and hold criminals, but it is trained not to bite them indiscriminately.

 

After this initial course a dog starts work on Division, but with its handler it is required to attend frequent refresher courses at one of the five continuation training centers.

 

Dog handlers work the same shift system as other officers in the Uniform Branch. They are on patrol for seven hours and the remaining hour is allowed for feeding, grooming and exercising the animal.

 

The real value of a dog is as a deterrent and to detect crime. But of course the type of beat that they patrol varies according to the district in which they serve.

 

With the introduction of personal radio and their specially equipped vans, dog handlers have become increasingly mobile, which has added to their operational efficiency. In addition to searching, chasing and tracking, dogs are also used for recovering stolen property which has been abandoned and for finding missing persons.

 

 

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GRAMMAR REVIEW for the 2 ^nd year

 

Modals

 

The modals have the same form in all persons. They come before the subject in questions and take “not” after them in negations. They take an infinitive without “to” after them.

 

Modal verb	Simple infinitive	Perfect infinitive
	He can read Arabic (ability); He can’t be so rich	She can’t have stolen the money
CAN	(probability); You can/can’t borrow my car	(probability in the past)
	(permission / prohibition); Can I borrow your
	book? (request)
	He could read Arabic when he was four (ability in	We could have gone to the
COULD	the past); She could still be at work (possibility);	seaside, but we went to the forest.
	Could I borrow your books? (polite request); We	(possibility in the past)
	could leave if you want. (suggestion)
MAY	He may not remember me (possibility); You may	He may have spoken to Jenny
	use the phone. (permission)	yesterday (possibility in the past)
MIGHT	He might want some food (possibility); Might I	He might have forgotten.
	speak to Mr. Smith? (formal permission)	(possibility in the past)
MUST	He must be at work (probability)	He must have been at work.
	You mustn’t park here (prohibition)	(probability in the past)
	I must go on a diet. (obligation)
SHALL	Shall I help you? (offer)
	Shall we dance? (suggestion)
SHOULD/	You should be patient. (advice)	You should have tried harder.
OUGHT TO		(criticism)
WILL	Will you phone Jane tonight? (friendly request);
	Accidents will happen (laws of nature)
WOULD	She would play with dolls (habit); Would you like
	me to help you? (offer); Would you mind sending
	the fax? (polite request)
NEED	I need to repair my car (necessity)	I needn’t have come so early
	You didn’t need to do the washing up (absence of	(unnecessary action which was
	necessity)	performed)
HAVE TO	I have to earn money (external necessity); They
	don’t have to get up early at the weekends
	(absence of necessity)