The fact that waiting lists have lengthened is partly due to the tight housing market in the Netherlands. It is difficult to find homes for TBS who can return to society after treatment. Furthermore, municipalities are not always enthusiastic about the arrival of TBS.
As long as there is no room in a clinic, a TBS inmate has to wait in the prison until there is room. As a result, they start treatment later.
In June this year, Legal Protection Minister Franc Weerwind wrote to the House of Representatives that the shortage of places is expected to continue until 2026. The capacity of the clinics will be increased in the coming years, but the ministry spokesman cannot give numbers exactly. This depends on factors such as “local government cooperation” and “the construction market”.
The number of people receiving TBS has been on the rise for several years. In 2016, 174 people received a TBS order, in 2019 it was 260 people and in 2020 a total of 273. In recent years, several experts have expressed the hypothesis that the increase may be related to the death of Anne Faber in 2017. The 25-year-old woman was raped and killed by Michael P., after which discussion erupted in society as to whether he should not be detained, should he receive for a previous conviction.
