NCJ Number
130086
Journal
Crime, Law and Social Change Volume: 15 Issue: 2 Dated: (March 1991) Pages: 91-108
Date Published
1991
Length
18 pages
Annotation
The Netherlands has made a substantial effort to improve the existing sentencing system for juvenile delinquents by introducing alternative sanctions.
Abstract
Juvenile delinquency in the Netherlands has increased from 1970 to 1988, and it appears that far more juveniles engage in criminal behavior than official records indicate. Because it has become clear that traditional sanctions are not effective, alternative sanctions are needed. Criteria are developed for these sanctions and applied experimentally to juvenile vandalism in the public transport sector. Sanctions for juvenile delinquents should facilitate attitude and behavior change and should be administered as quickly as possible after a criminal act has been committed. Further, there should be an intrinsic relation between the criminal act and the sanction. Sanctions for vandalism should consider the type of vandal in terms of punishment and individual versus collective approaches. An interactive strategy is suggested that considers both the person and the situation. The implementation of alternative sanctions for juveniles in the Netherlands is discussed. 19 notes, 5 tables, and 1 figure