VVD: Ankle-Band as Replacing Prison Sentence Unacceptable
THE HAGUE, 07/06/13 - The conservatives (VVD) have torpedoed Justice State Secretary Fred Teeven's plan to replace prison sentences by electronic detention by means of a GPS ankle-band. MP Ard van der Steur said in the Lower House Thursday the plan was "unacceptable".
The House debated for the entire day on plans of Justice State Secretary Fred Teeven (VVD) to achieve savings of 340 million euros on the prison system. Under Teeven’s plans, 26 prisons would have to close and prisoners would be sent home with an ankle-band. The plan has run up against much criticism. Van der Steur urged Teeven to carry out research into alternatives to electronic detention, which would mean more and more criminals sitting at home with an ankle-band. The state secretary agreed. There is "not enough support" for his plan, he acknowledged. A convict given a prison sentence must really be locked up in a prison, according to Van der Steur. “Only at the end of the prison sentence, when the convict has to prepare for the return to society and is also allowed trial leave, should electronic detention be applied in the view of the VVD.” |