Isolation in Dutch Prisons; Perspectives of a Prison Director

ICPA2024 Presentation by Harry Lefferts and Toon Molleman (ICPA2024-PID128)

Authors

Mr Harry Lefferts

Prison Director, Prison Director, Dutch Custodial Institutions Agency, The Netherlands

Harry Lefferts is the director of a Dutch prison for illegal foreigners in the criminal justice system.
He started his career in the Dutch Army, where he participated in various missions in the Netherlands and abroad. After serving as a soldier for more than 12 years, he continued his career at the Ministry of Justice and Security in the prison system. There he gained knowledge and experience in various positions, both in the Netherlands and abroad.

Harry Lefferts studied Organization, Culture and Management at the University of Utrecht and has a special interest in social interactions between prison staff and prisoners. As a director, Harry has worked in several Dutch prisons and based on his experiences, he sometimes sees big differences in the execution of detention. Differences that are also reflected in the implementation of the sanctions policy. While the sanction policy should, on the one hand, prevent prisoners from violating the rules in prison, on the other hand, it must encourage positive behaviour and rehabilitation.

Using both his longtime experience at the DJI as well as the available scientific research, Harry now also chairs the working group instated to translate the new isolation policy into practice, such as
His goal is to develop a vision on isolation of prisoners, and to significantly reduce the number of solitary confinements in Dutch prisons by focusing on a person-centered approach to recovery.

Toon Molleman

Deputy Director, Division of Prisons and Foreigner Detention, Ministry of Justice and Safety, Dutch Custodial Institutions Agency, The Netherlands

Dr. Toon Molleman is the deputy director of prisons and immigration detention at the Dutch Custodial Institutions Agency (DJI). He previously worked as a prison director of the penitentiary institution of Arnhem and Leeuwarden. Dr. Molleman received his PhD in 2014 at Utrecht University (Methodology & statistics) by creating a benchmark for prisons. During his PhD research, Dr. Molleman worked at the Research and Documentation Centre (WODC) of the Ministry of Justice and Safety.

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