How bizare is this

In a world where violent crime is the norm what has Holland done to get it right.

http://www.nrc.nl/international/art...rlands_to_close_prisons_for_lack_of_criminals

 

The rest of the world could do with recruiting those Dutch crime fighters.
I never thought I'd see that anywhere. Closing prisons must be a first.
They got Batman or something?

 

That is incredible, the US need to study.
Then on the other hand here our prisons are packed with non violent crime offenses. Even though drugs are a problem here, putting people in prison for possessing them is not the answer.
We have the right to drink which is the most problem/violent causing drug there is.

 

Wow... whatever the Netherlands are doing right, we should probably try to imitate. That's impressive.

 

LOL, that makes it even more strange.:confused Economy should be the same or at least similar. Weird.

 

Wow! Am sure that they don't put people in prison for petty things and sentences are not really long and harsh.

How about sending some Gitmo prisoners to their empty prisons? :-D Nah, don't think that the Dutch would have enough maximum security prisons.

Smelling some kinda snake oil here to make figures look good?

 

Our prisons have been overpopulated for a long time and this deal has been on the table for a while and it was confirmed on the news last night that some prisoners (illegal immigrants) who do not have families in Belgium will be serving their sentence in Holland.
The Belgium government is renting the cells from the Dutch.

 

I'll tell you what their trick is, and most people will say this is poppycock.

They have taken the furthest strides in History toward creating and equitable and sustainable society.

 

It's the start of a vicious cycle:

Close prisons and lay-off the workers, workers can't get another job, they start a crime spree, open prisons again and hire staff, crime drops, close prisons... ad-finium...

 

That "logic" doesn't make any sense to me, or is prison-staff more vulnerable to crime than the rest of the population?

A laid-off person in general doesn't make him/her go on a crime spree, sounds offensive to me. Could be a slight increase in crime only, not as many as you suggest.

 

Wasn't logic, my dear --- just injecting some "Rikky" type humor, PapaDuke style.

 

And that to think that the Dutch created the (first) oldest stock market centuries ago and were at that time considered the first capitalistic country.

Probable reason of their furthest strides? Because labor, government and businesses work together and do not consider each other as enemies. Oh, and at least a dozen different political parties.

 

Word!^^^^^ This dovetails nicely with Darlene's post. Drugs controlled by mobs in and guns/money out. It's about time the US border guards started checking for the latter, what was the trigger to change the policy?:confused DUH!rolleyes

 

Interesting read on what they're doing.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/03/magazine/03european-t.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

 

Excellent article Cat. Mind you, I'm biased since I was raised in Holland.

 

Sustainable, and equitable.

Basic needs are planned for, and cared for by a system created by the people, to serve the people.

Not to serve the controlling few with the Almighty Dollar in excess.

Not like in the states, where our government is so wasteful, and full of self interest, that your average citizen finds it abhorrent to contribute to the system, because they see no real benefits in their life for the contribution they make to support the society the live in.

Where we go to the hospital to get poorer, not better if we can't afford or have coverage through work.

We have alot of potential, and we could stand to borrow from this system. It's by no means perfect, but it serves ALL the people better than our present system does.

If you don't think you pay a comparable amount of taxes to the Dutch every year, add up all the taxes you usually don't notice depending on your state.

In New York, there are taxes on groceries, any food products, clothing, shoes, gasoline, cars, you name it. You can't by a damn thing without paying just over 8 percent on it. They also nab just over 8 percent of your yearly salary on top of that, and then you have the usual federal taxes.

Add up all the "invisible" taxes, and you don't see jack for what you pay into the system comparatively.

Take the control of the market out of the hands of the black market, and put it in the hands of responsible leaders in the government.

As long as the people need to go to the wrong people to get what they think they want, we will be in deep :crap.

 

I love Rikky's logic and his style of humor. :wave

 

I agree 100%. Nice post, Mekanic. We in the UK are up to our noses in stealth taxes, too. Everything has a tax on it. But of course we need to pay so much in tax so the politicos can live it up at our expense. :mad

 

Thanks, and I agree. Our "politicians" live like first class citizens at the expense of the general populace too.

The more they make and keep, the poorer the middle class gets.

The culture of greed may just completely explain the recent economic meltdown.

 

Hopefully, this 'culture of greed' is about to come to an end. In this country, at least.
They've been caught with their fingers in the till. But they say it's all within the rules. Bollocks.

 

joey, I barely know you, and I think, I very well may respect you.

 

The feeling's mutual, Mekanic. We are both singing from the same hymn sheet.
The amount of morally bankrupt MPs in this country who have announced they will stand down at the next general election grows daily. Most quote 'the desire spend more time with family' as the reason they are quitting. LOL
The hungriest of these politicians have revealed that they will repay the 'expenses' they claimed. Of course the ramifications beg the question: would these politicians be repaying their ill gotten gains if they hadn't been exposed? I think we all know the answer to that.

 

I think Holland can do this because Holland is mostly populated by Americans trying to get high. When they break the law, they get deported, not imprisoned.

 

Getting high is not unlawful in Holland but here in Belgium the favourite pastime is going over the border to do just that.

 

No most Europe countries are liberal than the US.Most Europe countries look a blind eye on drugs or slap on the wrist well in the US you in for long time.

In the UK most cops look a blind eye on street hookers not like the US. In the UK and France have state run free heathcare. And France has higher schooling subsidised by the government.

Most Europe countries are liberal or social democradic and lot of people live in flats.

In the way the reason the US has no social programs and you pay for every thing is all tax goes to army and wars .Well the US and USSR has the highest prison population.

Other thing the US and to less about the UK has a drug cluture not like alot other countries.I have seen pictures in Amsterdam the red-distric and marijuana cafes in Amsterdam the streets do not look ghetto like the streets in the US .Alot of the government makes streets look nicer. Well the UK and France does have some ghetto areas.


In the USSR and to now the people getting drunk was a big problem and there is a alot of crime and organized crime and the government has no problem putting you jail .The USSR had history of rough government .

Say some thing about government and you in jail .Well freedom and democracy was not big thing in the USSR.