Samenvatting

This contribution explores the influence of societal unrest on the size and composition of the Dutch prison population. Drawing on previous empirical analyses and key works in penology, it analyses the evolution of various categories within the prison population (including detention of mentally ill offenders in forensic institutions (tbs) and immigration detention) over the past fifty years. In the Netherlands, discussions since the mid-1980s have often focused on vulnerable groups and offenders (or suspects) of less serious crimes, such as ‘drug couriers’, ‘repeat offenders’ and ‘high impact crimes’. Notably, this focus leads to policy and legislation that is linked both to the sharp rise in the prison population between 1985 and 2005 and its significant decline between 2005 and 2016. This analysis aims to contribute to a rational solution for the current ‘crisis’ in the prison system.