It could work, it's certainly the best way to readapt prisonners to social life. And has been tried as well, BUT, nobody can force someone to work, especially when he knows that he will only spend 25% of his sentence in jail (rest will be suspended to free some cells).

Delinquents and criminals do not evermore know the signification of 'working', everything was always brought them by the social protection system or by the prison's laundry. Why would the major part of them suddently wanting to turn obliging, useful and productive ? Even if it's not their fault at first they fell in - the politically correct and protected status of - laziness, we can't congratulate him/her either by offering him/her a pay and some fun at the mosquee... Other State's slaves didn't become lazy despite the easiness offered by the same State.

NB : Forgive my shameful English use, I'm only a 'belgian school product'.

Jeebie:"The best plan would be to put them to work"

Why would I possible hire any of these animals when I can outsource just about anything to a full business group in either eastern europe, china or india?  Time to put a complete halt to unskilled immigration and deport as many as we possibly can

Crime without punishment? That hasn't been tried anywhere before, has it? And if we should forgo jail or prison as a deterrent, take it one step further and just don't bother arresting them in the first place. That would save a lot of money. And if you don't arrest or jail anyone, lay off the police and close the prisons, even more money saved. IMHO, without any strong deterrence, crime would ?, recidivism would ? . markpetens is right. The best plan would be to put them to work, perhaps helping sociologists record the rising crime rates, when there is no real punishment attached to crime.

I still feel safer walker home here at night then in Par-ass.

As Larry the cable guy would say, "Yer can't fix stupid."

"The cost to imprison one criminal in the Netherland is about 180 euros a day!" What's the cost to a women raped? A mother crying over a murdered son? 180 euros a day, is that all you are worried about? A criminal on home leave (apparently unmonitored in person) makes a bomb, plants it in a church, kills dozens, injures hundreds, destroys the church. What's the cost to them? (I forgot non of you europens go to church- to old fashion and quaint, so he blows up a train station) and you're worried about a lousy 180 euros a day! Larry's right, yer can't fix stupid!  

The cost to imprison one criminal in the Netherland is about 180 euros a day! So it is actually cheaper to put people under house arrest than in a prison, even when they receive welfare. A better system of course would be to have the prisoners themselves pay the cost of their imprisonment, either by putting them to work, or by slashing their savings, pensions, etc.

At least the Dutch are giving sociologists an excellent opportunity to study whether crime rates rise when there are no deterents in place.

@Arty:  your point that stupid politicians are a reflection of a stupid citizenry is valid to a degree.  Only in a totalitarian state can the political leadership ignore the citizens' wishes entirely.  But in Europe the political elites may be less influenced by the electorate's wishes than, say, in the United States.  For good or ill, it's hard to imagine the American people being led deeper and deeper into an international bureaucracy by a determined and nearly unanimous elite the way some reluctant electorates in Europe have been led into each successively broader incarnation of the EU.

This is the logical conclusion of a way of thinking that has already resulted in (a) a Dutch serial murderer walking free, without supervision, after 10 years in jail; and (b) a Dutch PM helping to make sure that French secret agents do not go to jail after killing a Dutch citizen.

I really have a hard time sympathizing with the Dutch. As somebody once observed;

"It's impossible for a representative to be stupider than his constituents, for the stupider the representative proves him himself to be, the stupider his constituents were to vote for him".

So that means, who have enough money to plan bomb attacks, will have to concentrate on bomb making... and 2 hours to visit shops and gather required things for bomb making...

and those  who don't have enough money, and are new in terrorism... will get financial assistance !
 

The two hours can also be used for robbery, murder, planning terrorist activities (while visiting the mosque), rape, etc.

Wow, welfare payments for reward of criminal activity, but only if they can run a business from their home. Wanna bet that business is criminal?

The politicians in the Netherlands are stupid!!! If this were not true, then it would be 'fall on the floor laughing'. As it is true, then the unsuspecting people are to be pitied for their government turning loose on them criminals and terrorists.

Only in Europe is there so much over-protection for the criminal and virtually none for the innocent citizens. I'm sure if this were put to a vote, then the criminals would not be rewarded like this. But, then again whoever said that Europe is a democracy is a fool.

Muslims being the largest group in the european jails, that will make a big jump in mosques' visits. It seems that stupidity reigns among the dutch lawmakers. Do they really want more of the explosive criminals/jihad-ideology mix ???

Whats the difference?  Only 2% of crimes are solved here anyway.  Amazing we are not like France already.