New Dutch bill proposes prisoners pay €16 a day in jail

The Dutch Ministry of Justice proposed a bill to make convicted criminals pay a fee for each day they spend in jail, it was announced Monday. The ministry said it wanted to introduce a charge of 16 euros (22 U.S. dollars) a day for prisoners, people in psychiatric detention centers and the parents of juveniles in detention. In another bill proposed by the Ministry of Justice, offenders of crimes should also to contribute to the costs of care for victims. The fee should cover the investigation into their crimes and the court costs as well. The contribution for the costs of the conviction should lead to a net income of 65 million euros (89 million U.S. dollars) per year, the ministry thinks. "In doing so, the Netherlands follows a large number of other European countries which have similar systems," the ministry statement said. The bills are the result of coalition agreements reached between the ruling government parties VVD and PvdA in 2012.