Crisis admissions in Dutch juvenile justice institutions: finding a solution

Date01 December 2006
Published date01 December 2006
DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1108/17466660200600032
Pages61-69
AuthorLeonieke Boendermaker
Subject MatterEducation,Health & social care,Sociology
61
Journal of Childrens Services
Volume 1 Issue 4 December 2006
©Pavilion Journals (Brighton) Ltd
Abstract
In the Netherlands young people with a child protection measure can be admitted to juvenile justice
institutions in special cases. Since 2001 there has been a sudden rise in the number of child protection
admissions. This article describes a needs analysis of the child protection cases and shows how the
identification of need profiles can provide clues for the development of services. An important outcome of
the needs analysis is the urgent need for new services for young people with a conduct disorder, with
residential as well as non-residential with (intensive) family interventions as a central element.
Due to political and media attention on the subject, the government plans to spread intensive family
interventions over the country and finances have become available to develop five new residential
settings. The focus on the use of security in handling this group of young people is also discussed.
Key words
needs analysis; child protection measure; juvenile justice institutions; residential care; family
interventions; secure settings; client consultation
1Senior Research
Officer, The
Netherlands Youth
Institute, Utrecht,
The Netherlands
Introduction
Over the last two decades in the Netherlands, as well
as in other countries, decreasing numbers of children
and young people are being placed in residential
facilities. The government stimulated the use of less
intensive and less expensive care, like day treatment or
other non-residential care. As a result of that, the
reliance on juvenile justice systems for the care of
young people with severe behavioural problems has
increased (Hellinckx & Colton, 1993; Underwood et al,
2004). Recently the lack of non-judicial residential care
in the Netherlands became an urgent issue because of
the growing number of child protection cases admitted
to the same institutions as those detained for criminal
offences. This article describes the results of a study
under the authority of the Ministry of Justice on three
issues: (1) What are the characteristics and needs of
the child protection cases admitted to youth prisons?
(2) Why are these young people admitted to a juvenile
justice institution? and (3) What do we know about
services that can meet these needs?
Background
For a long time, the Dutch juvenile justice system
could be characterised as being based on a welfare
approach. Young people were seen as victims of
circumstances and environment, and the emphasis was
on treatment instead of punishment. During the 1980s
this changed into a more punitive approach due to an
international development to allocate more individual
rights to young people and to hold them responsible
for their actions. It was felt that punishments should
be more severe. In 1995 a new Juvenile Justice Act was
introduced and, although community sanctions were
introduced and became very popular, the new act led
to an increase in the population of the young offender
institutions (Junger-Tas, 2004).
This development may be illustrated by the fact
Crisis admissions in Dutch
juvenile justice institutions:
finding a solution
Leonieke Boendermaker1

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