Essays on Dutch Criminal Policy

In 1999, on occasion of its 200th anniversary, the Dutch Ministery of Justice published a concise report on the Dutch Criminal Justice System edited by Professor Peter Tak. Its main objective was to inform foreigners with an interest in the Dutch system. The report has been well received by many readers, many whom were foreign students who spent some months at Dutch law faculties as exchange students, others were foreign scholars with an interest in Dutch systems, often for sake of comparison with their national system. For that purpose, however, the report was too concise, since it merely provided an overview of the system and did not discuss details or further literature. Recently Professor Tak celebrated that 25 years ago he was appointed professor of law at the faculty of law of the University of Nijmegen. Often on such an occasion, the jubilee is presented a liber amicorum, written by colleagues and friends. Professor Tak, on his part, has presented a liber advenis amices, a book for friends abroad. The idea came about to publish a more detailed study of the Dutch Criminal Justice System, in particular on topics, which might attract special interest of foreign scholars, because they are of a controversial nature or under discussion at home.