Between Protection and Repression: A Short History of Juvenile Policing in the Netherlands

• NCJ Number: 220548
• Journal: International Journal of Police Science & Management Volume: 9 Issue: 3 Dated: Autumn 2007 Pages: 214-225
• Author(s): Manon van de Riet; Wim Bernasco; Peter vander Laan
• Date Published: 2007
• Length: 12 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Historical Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

This article, an overview of major historical developments in the area of juvenile policing in the Netherlands, describes how the involvement of the Dutch police with minors has been subject to various organizational changes, and how the balance between protective and repressive functions gradually shifted from the former (protective) towards the latter (repressive).

Abstract

The history of juvenile policing in the Netherlands is for the most part a history of the Juvenile Police Departments. Established at the start of the 20th century as part of a social movement towards a greater involvement of the state in child protection, they initially took up responsibility for a broad set of social tasks. Throughout their history, the Juvenile Police Departments have had to defend themselves, both internally and externally. At the same time, the involvement of the Juvenile Police in criminal cases involving minors has functioned as a guarantee for a reaction “with restraint” in dealing with juvenile delinquency and antisocial behavior. With the reorganization of the police in 1994, the Juvenile Police Departments disappeared with fear that this would also close down juvenile policing as a specialized form of policing. As result, it appears that the police organization still makes use of the expertise on juvenile delinquency of some of its officers, and that the leniency in handling juvenile criminal cases continues to prevail. Juvenile policing is now at least a responsibility of every police officer. However, the quality of juvenile policing is still threatened. The leniency that has been so characteristic of juvenile policing, and partly attributed to the existence of the Juvenile Police departments, appears to be threatened by recent developments. These developments include: (1) directives for police officers to handle fewer cases by informal warnings and (2) covenants forcing the police to reach certain production standards through number of reports and arrests. References