In the past few months, burglars have broken into a Dutch prison facility at least two times. These break-ins have always been accompanied by the theft of a television set, or other items. According to Dutch officials, the thefts in question occurred during two weekends, which were approximately one month apart – during the months of March and April.
The prison facility is generally regarded as a “transition” facility, which helps long-term prisoners to slowly transition back into being a part of society. For the most part, the inmates at this prison are nearing the end of their sentences, and may be transferred there due to good behavior. The prisoners are typically allowed to leave on weekends, which leaves the facility mostly vacant. It’s apparently during these periods of vacancy that the facility has been burglarlized. According to the Dutch government, they regard this prison as a “very moderately protected facility”. A Dutch Ministry spokesperson confirmed the dates of the apparent burglaries.
Apparently, the burglars were able to climb over the fence, force open a window, and access the prison through an emergency staircase. It’s been suggested that some prison officials suspect that the burglars had help from other inmates inside the prison. The thefts weren’t discovered until after the weekend, when prisoners were returning to their cells.
The prison facility in question is located in a town called Hoorn, which is 26 miles northeast of Amsterdam.
When contacted for a comment, a spokeswoman for the public prosecutor’s office had very little info to offer. She was only able to confirm that at least one of the thefts had been reported to police, and that they currently had not made any arrests regarding the break-ins.
The reason that the prisoners are allowed to leave on weekends, is part of an initiative program by the Dutch government. This program is designed to help certain types of prisoners make an easier transition back into society. It’s possible that this program was designed to help prevent ”repeat” inmates, who are often imprisoned again for the same types of crimes.
Looking back on this story, it’s kind of funny to imagine what the inmates were thinking when they discovered that their television sets had been stolen. How did the burglars make it past the guards? Why would these burglars target a prison? What type of person would steal from a detention facility?
Sources:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36690293
http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE63K4GC20100421
http://www.neatorama.com/2010/04/22/burglars-break-into-prison-steal-tvs/
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