EBI regime becoming stricter
The regime in the Maximum-Security Unit (EBI) in Vught should be made stricter for detainees who are held there for life-threatening, continued criminal activities or serious organised crime. This was written in a letter that Minister Weerwind (Legal Protection) submitted to the House of Representatives today, also on behalf of Minister Yeşilgöz-Zegerius (Justice and Security). By means of the new rules, the Minister wishes to prevent detainees in the EBI from abusing their contacts with the outside world in order to commit criminal activities.
Stricter EBI rules
Recent developments have shown that the current legislative and regulatory framework is inadequate. After the regulations have been amended, detainees who are assigned to the so-called C and D sites in the EBI may only call someone who is physically at a location designated by the DJI once a week for 10 minutes and receive a maximum of one visitor once a week. Previously, these detainees were allowed to make 10-minute calls three times a week and receive 3 visitors per week. The amended legislation will be introduced as soon as possible.
Minister Weerwind:
“The new rules means that imposing restrictions will be my responsibility from now on. In doing so, I wish to prevent prison staff from being targeted by criminals who are exerting pressure on them to lift the restrictions imposed. In the fight against international organised crime, the government is making every effort to protect the men and women who work for our democratic rule of law and safety every day.”
Minister Yeşilgöz-Zegerius:
“People must be able to rely on the fact that criminals we imprison no longer pose a danger to society. The professionals in the criminal justice and enforcement chain work to achieve this on a daily basis. If they run up against the limits of laws and rules, it is our task to structure these laws in such a way that we can always be one step ahead of criminals.”
Visual monitoring of EBI detainees and lawyer
Minister Weerwind is also urgently preparing an amendment to the Custodial Institutions (Framework) Act (Penitentiaire Beginselenwet) in order to be able to impose further restrictions on a small group of detainees. For example, certain communication options or contacts may be prohibited completely on the basis that they pose very serious risks to the safety of society. The amendment will also introduce the possibility of the visual monitoring of discussions between this particular group of detainees and their lawyer. The bill is expected to be submitted to the House of Representatives in the first quarter of 2023.
Strong legal instruments
At the initiative of Minister Weerwind, a European conference on continued criminal activities during detention will be organised at the beginning of 2023. The aim is to achieve an international exchange of knowledge and experience on all possible measures. Furthermore, in the first half of 2023, the announced WODC study on the Italian 41-bis prison regime will be completed. All the information will be used to further develop the legislative framework that we need to stay one step ahead of criminals.