A number of interviews with officials within the criminal justice system are the basis of this article. Especially the Correction Institute Aruba (KIA), the Aruban prison, was frequently mentioned in the discussions. Among others, interviews were held with the Minister of Justice and Social Affairs, the director of the prison and the director of the probation foundation.
The question arises whether, since Aruba belongs to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, does this mean that we must also meet joint minimum values and standards, also in the prison system? Then, according to the author, the Dutch government must release funds and people to support the prison system in Aruba in order to meet those shared values and standards.

This article describes a comparative study between prisoners in Bonaire and in the Netherlands. Using questionnaires translated in Papiamento and Spanish, no differences were found in a wide range of psychosocial and cognitive measurements (among others intellectual disability, depression, anxiety, psychopathy and aggression). The prisoners in Bonaire were younger, had longer prison sentences and used drugs more often. The findings suggest that the use of questionnaires translated in Papiamento may improve diagnosis in Antillean defendants.

The Dutch government implemented a new youth justice system in the Caribbean part of the Netherlands (BES) in 2020 by adding a new title to the Criminal Code BES with specific provisions concerning juveniles along with an implementation decree that assigned new responsibilities to the partner organisations of that system. The new youth justice system introduced youth detention as a custodial sentence for young offenders and provides a legal basis for the use of diversion. With the aim to explore the effectiveness and efficiency of the new youth justice system, a study on the feasibility of a monitor was conducted in order to carefully follow the implementation of the new system. This article reports the findings from the study performed in 2020, prior to the implementation, and a reflection on the two years since.

On 10 October 2010, the former Dutch Antilles was disbanded. This event created two extra countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands (Curaçao and Sint Maarten) and three extra municipalities (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba) within the Netherlands. A lot has changed since then. The population on Bonaire has risen immensely and the same goes for the crime statistics. Every crime or offence is part of the criminal law, which means that every case is processed by the Public Ministry.
This article presents an introduction on how the justice system works and what the tasks are of the Public Ministry in the Caribbean Netherlands. The economic and social injustice on the islands are factors that contribute to the risen crime statistics. A highlight of the juvenile criminal law, which has been implemented in 2020, will give a more detailed portrayal of the problems that are present on Bonaire. The article will conclude with a future perspective.

What kind of challenges does the probation office of the BES islands face and how the probationworkers work to make their islands a safer place.

Shortly after Aruba’s ‘status aparte’ within the Kingdom became a reality, the University of Aruba (UA) opened its gates in September 1988. At that time, the brand new university consisted of only one faculty: the Faculty of Law. In September 2006, the three-year bachelor’s degree in Aruban law was introduced; in the 2008-2009 academic year, the implementation of the master’s degree in Aruban law followed. The purpose of this contribution is to provide an insight into the curriculum of Aruban Law at the Faculty of Law of the University of Aruba. It becomes clear that despite the small scale of the faculty, the full area of criminal and criminal procedure law is covered and that students can start working in legal practice as a fully-fledged master of law after completing their studies. The faculty plays an important role in Aruban society and meets the need for new lawyers, (local) judges, legislative lawyers and other lawyers on the island.

The central question in this contribution is what it means to be detained on a Caribbean island and more specifically in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. After a short historical and international exploration into different kinds of detention on small islands it is concluded that there remain large contrasts in penitentiary conditions between the countries in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The small scale of the islands has several consequences, such as the lack of specialized facilities, which means that vulnerable detainees cannot receive the care and attention they need. As a result, it may be necessary to transfer detainees to another island or country. On small islands, there are fewer opportunities to disperse dangerous detainees or rival gang members, which can lead to unsafe situations. Chronic budgetary problems and understaffing lead to poor living conditions and a shortage of opportunities for resocialisation. Efforts are being made in the Kingdom to improve detention conditions.