Dutch deputy justice minister Fred Teeven signed an agreement Monday, aimed at alleviating the waiting period for convicts in Norway, where prisons are almost operating on a 'one-in-one-out' policy. The deal would see underutilized prisons in the Netherlands take 242 Norwegian prisoners, providing job security for Dutch prison staff, and cells for Norwegian prisoners.
Inmates of Norgerhaven prison near Assen in the northern Netherlands have extremely comfortable conditions: they have the opportunity to cook their own food, grow vegetables, keep chickens, do daily exercises and enjoy countryside views. An influx of foreign prisoners will see many lose their enviable conditions.
At least 17 long-term prisoners, serving sentences of 10 years and more, have taken the Dutch justice ministry to court, their lawyer Hettie Cremers told AFP.
In Norway, the head of the organization representing Norwegian prisoners' families, Hanne Hamsund, said the agreement violates the rights of the prisoners' families, bereaving the opportunity to be in regular contact with each other.
"We're very skeptical about the agreement because it violates several fundamental principles, primarily family proximity to the prisoner during detention," she said.
The Netherlands-Norway deal still needs to be adopted by both countries' parliaments. The first Norwegian convicts are likely to be transferred on September 1.
