NCJ Number
100896
Date Published
1986
Length
2 pages
Annotation
This document summarizes the results of a Netherlands study evaluating the impact of a January 1984 regulation that tried to reduce overcrowding in temporary custody facilities by assigning priority ratings based on offenders' need for pretrial confinement.
Abstract
The 1984 regulation established three categories of need for confinement and assigned places in holding facilities based on these priorities, with individuals in the lowest priority being released initially or when an influx of highest priority offenders justified the need. The study assessed the regulation's effectiveness by examining data on 4,086 individuals taken into custody during the first half of 1984. Sources of information included periodic counts of suspects in custody by district, cases in which the offender was detained despite a lower classification, other case files, and a survey of public prosecutors and other justice system officials. The results showed that priority A, the most serious need for confinement, was most used, and priority C, the lowest category, the least used. Crowding remained a problem, and many suspects had to be freed before their trial date. The study revealed that a wide diversity of cases received Priority A and that some crimes being assigned a high classification priority could have received a lower rating. Districts varied widely in assigning priorities, probably due to variations in available cell space. While prosecutors felt that some priority classification was needed and that the present system was useful, they disagreed on whether the system should be used as a norm or an absolute guide. Tables. For the complete document in Dutch, see NCJ-101972.