In 2019, the number of detainees had increased for the third year in a row, according to new figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). On September 30, 2019, there were almost 10,000 inmates, 400 more than in 2018. Compared to 2016, there were over 1,100 more people in prison in 2019.
Until 2017 there was an annual decrease in the number of prisoners in the Netherlands. In 2010 there were still 12,000 people who had to serve a prison sentence, but in 2016 it had dropped to 8,800.
In September 2019, 58 percent of inmates were between 25 and 45 years old. 26 percent were 45 to 65 and 15 percent were 18 to 25 years old. 95 percent of prisoners in the Netherlands are male.
Most prisoners, about 44 percent, are on remand. This means that they are still awaiting the substantive treatment of their criminal case.
39 percent of inmates have been sentenced to custodial sentences, and most of them serve sentences of 3 years or more.
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