A small group of suspects and criminals who are detained require extra security measures. Only then can they be prevented from continuing their criminal activities from prison. This is stated in an advice published on Thursday by the Council for the Administration of Criminal Justice and Youth Protection (RSJ).
These measures must, among other things, be geared as much as possible to the behavior and risks of individual detainees.
The hardening of crime is a current problem for society. “In the prison system there is also a small group that poses a major threat, for example because of the risk of undermining the rule of law or threatening individuals.”
It is necessary to provide extra protection for detainees who pose a great danger, according to the RSJ. “Because more stringent security always leads to further restrictions on rights or freedoms, attention must be paid to the treatment and legal position of these detainees.”
Freedom of movement must be guaranteed
The RSJ advises, among other things, to guarantee the freedom of movement and privacy of detainees, because strict security regimes have a major impact on this. “Severe restrictions on freedom of movement and contact with the outside world can lead to a high degree of social isolation. The negative effects of this must be prevented as much as possible.”
Marengo main suspect Ridouan Taghi, among others, is in the strictest possible regime for the Netherlands in the extra security institution (ebi) in Vught. His lawyer Inez Weski has filed several complaints and filed cases against, among others, the EBI because of the strict measures.
For example, according to her, Taghi has been completely alone in a department without fellow detainees for more than three years, he has 24-hour camera surveillance and he is only allowed very limited (telephone) contact with others.
