Correctional Institution Caribbean Netherlands gets family room for visitors
As of the 1st of October 2021, the Judicial Institution Caribbean Netherlands (JICN) will make it possible for detainees to have family visits in the so-called family room. This space offers detainees and their families the opportunity to meet in a homely environment, once the detainee meets the conditions set.
The family room is a specially equipped space within the JICN where detainees can receive their visitors in a homely environment, without a partition being placed between them. The facility is intended to give detainees better opportunities to maintain relationships with their families, especially their children. Maintaining ties with family and friends is an important part of the reintegration process, preparing detainees for reintegration into society.
The family room visit is therefore not a right but a privilege that can only be granted to the detainee if he or she meets a number of strict conditions. For example, the detainee can only submit an application for use of the family room after the first six months in detention and only if he or she shows the desired behaviour within the institution.
A detainee may receive up to three family members at the same time in the family room during the established visiting hours. Under the indirect supervision of a JICN employee, a detainee can spend an hour with the family. Visitors are informed prior to the visit about the rules that apply during the visit in the family room.
The introduction of the family room is a new step in the Detention and Reintegration (D&R) policy of the JICN. By stimulating and rewarding desirable behaviour on the part of the detainee and by punishing undesired behaviour, detainees are motivated to work towards their reintegration as best as possible and to reduce the risk of recidivism.