NCJ Number
168092
Journal
Justitiele verkenningen Volume: 23 Issue: 4 Dated: (1997) Pages: complete issue
Date Published
1997
Length
119 pages
Annotation
This compilation of six articles focuses on choices in criminal law enforcement in the Netherlands, the role of the public prosecutor's office in policy-making, self-regulation in a dual criminal justice system, self-regulation in the criminal justice system, local dimensions of crime control, and environmental law priorities.
Abstract
Scarcity in resources forces the public prosecutor to make hard choices in criminal law enforcement, and optimum criminal law enforcement requires a large degree of decentralized decision-making. Under the 1993 Police Law in the Netherlands, effective crime control can only be achieved when local authorities, public prosecutors, and police officials cooperate extensively. Each has distinct legal competencies, expertise, or other resources needed to achieve collective aims. At the same time, the growing decentralization of the criminal justice system in the Netherlands may lead to a scenario where a dual system of punitive law enforcement will develop. In this scenario, links between national and regional information management systems will become critical. Criminal justice policies will need to be developed that are appropriate at national, regional, and local levels, particularly due to the importance of local dimensions of crime control. In addition, the practical enforcement of environmental laws is in the hands of local communities. References, footnotes, and figures