NCJ Number
110447
Date Published
1987
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study assessed Dutch policy toward medium-term inmates (those serving between 1 and 6 months) in terms of the humaneness of the confinement and the rehabilitative effectiveness of the sentences.
Abstract
The two prisons housing medium-term inmates are Nederheide Training Center (NTC) and De Boschpoort prison. The humaneness of confinement was determined by reviewing conduct reports for 606 inmates and interviewing them to determine their attitudes toward their confinement. To determine the rehabilitative effects of the sentences, inmate attitudes were measured, using a set of attitude scales, soon after entry and just prior to release. A separate study obtained data on the recidivism of 1,098 medium-term inmates in the NTC and two closed institutions during 1971-73 for 2 years after release. Both institutions yielded few attitudinal and behavioral changes after incarceration, but neither was there any deterioration in these areas, suggesting that the prisons do not negatively impact medium-term inmates. The two prisons have not kept pace with one another in maintaining the objective of a more humane environment. The NTC treatment-oriented regime is apparently more effective in meeting inmate needs than the De Boschpoort custodially-oriented regime. 2 tables.