The declining crime rate in Netherland has forced the closure of certain prisons which is an impressive record as against many countries where the problem of overcrowding in prisons is prominent.
As prison populations surge in the UK, with overcrowded cells and repeat offenders, the opposite is happening in the Netherlands. reports Huffingtonpost.
The country has closed down eight prisons because of a lack of criminals, the Dutch justice ministry has announced.
Declining crime rates in the Netherlands mean that although the country has the capacity for 14,000 prisoners, there are only 12,000 detainees, reported the nrc.nl.
The decrease is expected to continue, the ministry said, with Deputy Justice Minister, Nebahat Albayrak saying that natural redundancy and other measures should counter any forced lay-offs.