Over the past 10 years, the Dutch state has had to pay 79 million euros in compensation to people who were jailed for crimes they did not commit.

The sum does not include the 200 euros per day it costs to keep a person locked up, warns Professor Emeritus Anton van Kalmthout in the Dutch newspaper Nederlands Dagblad. The Netherlands nearly tops the list of the 27 EU countries for erroneous convictions.

As a result of the crackdown on crime, there has been an increase in the number of people sent to prison who later turned out to be innocent. The total has tripled since 2002.

The amount of compensation for these people was increased in 2009. “A tough stance on crime is fine, but not when it costs so much money,” Professor Van Kalmthout is quoted as saying.

(cl/imm)

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