Computerization of the Prison Service in the Netherlands (From Computerization in the Management of the Criminal Justice System: Proceedings of the Workshop and the Symposium on Computerization of Criminal Justice Information at the Ninth United Nations Congress on the Prevention of Crime and the Tr

• NCJ Number: 167645
• Author(s): F van der Zanden
• Date Published: 1996
• Length: 8 pages
• Sale Source: Criminal Justice Press/Willow Tree Press
• Publication Type: Program/Project Description
• Language: English
• Country: Finland

Annotation

Information technology in the Prison Service of the Netherlands is discussed with respect to the challenges and solutions experienced over the past few years, the stages of development of computer technology in the Dutch Prison Service, and the effectiveness and impacts of this technology.

Abstract

Computerization in corrections in the Netherlands began in the early 1980's. The first system was called Mitra. It was replaced by a concept called Tulp. Tulp recognizes the decentralized tasks and responsibilities of the penitentiary institutions as well as the need for data exchange among institutions and agencies. The Dutch experience reveals that information has solved some but not all the problems the correctional system must address. The use of a growth model has resulted in high levels of flexibility and stability. The involvement of the users of the technology has also proven important. This involvement over the last 2 years has entailed increased attention to informing the remand detention centers and the prisons about intended activities, regional meetings in which users assess the daily functioning of the specific functions of the information systems, and the use of an advisory committee consisting of correctional facility administrators.