Ministry of Justice (Netherlands)
Encyclopedia
The Ministry of Security and Justice (Ministerie van Veiligheid en Justitie) is the Dutch
ministry of justice. Until 14 October 2010, the ministry was just called Ministry of Justice (Ministerie van Justitie), but at the start of the Rutte cabinet
, the name changed because it had taken over some public safety duties from the Ministry of the Interior. The current minister is Ivo Opstelten
, he is aided by state secretary Fred Teeven
.
It is also responsible for the coordination of counter-terrorism
policy.
Because it shares so many responsibilities, and the same building, with the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, they are sometimes called the twin ministries.
in the same building as the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. The civil service is headed by a secretary-general and a deputy secretary-general, who head a system of three directorates-general:
The Board of Procurators General (in Dutch: Raad van Procureurs-Generaal) which heads the Public Prosecution
Service (in Dutch: Openbaar Ministerie
, OM) is a relatively independent organisation which forms part of the Judiciary
and prosecutes persons susoectred of breaking the law.
The Netherlands Forensic Institute
is an autonomous division of the Ministry of Justice, falling under the Directorate-General for the Administration of Justice and Law Enforcement.
The Custodial Institutions Agency
is an agency of the ministry.
Politics of the Netherlands
The politics of the Netherlands take place within the framework of a parliamentary representative democracy, a constitutional monarchy and a decentralised unitary state. The Netherlands is described as a consociational state...
ministry of justice. Until 14 October 2010, the ministry was just called Ministry of Justice (Ministerie van Justitie), but at the start of the Rutte cabinet
Netherlands cabinet Rutte
The Rutte cabinet is the current Dutch coalition cabinet formed by the political parties People's Party for Freedom and Democracy and Christian Democratic Appeal . The coalition is a minority cabinet, but is supported by the Party for Freedom to have a small majority in the House of...
, the name changed because it had taken over some public safety duties from the Ministry of the Interior. The current minister is Ivo Opstelten
Ivo Opstelten
Ivo Willem Opstelten is a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy . He is the Minister of Security and Justice in the Cabinet Rutte since October 14, 2010....
, he is aided by state secretary Fred Teeven
Fred Teeven
Fredrik "Fred" Teeven is a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy . He is the State Secretary for Security and Justice in the Cabinet Rutte since October 14, 2010....
.
Responsibilities
The Ministry has the legal tasks of:- providinge workable legislationLegislationLegislation is law which has been promulgated by a legislature or other governing body, or the process of making it...
for the public, the government and the courts; - preventing crimeCrimeCrime is the breach of rules or laws for which some governing authority can ultimately prescribe a conviction...
, in order to build a safer society; - protecting youthYouthYouth is the time of life between childhood and adulthood . Definitions of the specific age range that constitutes youth vary. An individual's actual maturity may not correspond to their chronological age, as immature individuals could exist at all ages.-Usage:Around the world, the terms "youth",...
and children; - enforcing the law, in order to build a safer society;
- providing independent, accessible and effective administration of justice and legal aidLegal aidLegal aid is the provision of assistance to people otherwise unable to afford legal representation and access to the court system. Legal aid is regarded as central in providing access to justice by ensuring equality before the law, the right to counsel and the right to a fair trial.A number of...
; - providing support to the victims of crime;
- providing fair, consistent and effective enforcement of punishmentPunishmentPunishment is the authoritative imposition of something negative or unpleasant on a person or animal in response to behavior deemed wrong by an individual or group....
and other sanctionsSanctions (law)Sanctions are penalties or other means of enforcement used to provide incentives for obedience with the law, or with rules and regulations. Criminal sanctions can take the form of serious punishment, such as corporal or capital punishment, incarceration, or severe fines...
; - regulating immigrationImmigrationImmigration is the act of foreigners passing or coming into a country for the purpose of permanent residence...
into the Netherlands.
It is also responsible for the coordination of counter-terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
policy.
Because it shares so many responsibilities, and the same building, with the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, they are sometimes called the twin ministries.
Organisation
The ministry is currently headed by one minister and one state secretary. It employs almost 30,000 civil servants, located at the ministry in the Hague and all around the Netherlands. The ministry's main office is located in the centre of the HagueThe Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
in the same building as the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations. The civil service is headed by a secretary-general and a deputy secretary-general, who head a system of three directorates-general:
- The Directorate-General for Legislation, International Affairs and Immigration
- The Directorate-General for Prevention, Youth and Sanctions
- The Directorate-General for the Administration of Justice and Law Enforcement
The Board of Procurators General (in Dutch: Raad van Procureurs-Generaal) which heads the Public Prosecution
Prosecutor
The prosecutor is the chief legal representative of the prosecution in countries with either the common law adversarial system, or the civil law inquisitorial system...
Service (in Dutch: Openbaar Ministerie
Openbaar Ministerie
The Public Prosecution Service is the body of public prosecutors in the Netherlands. Together with the judges, it forms the judiciary in the Dutch criminal justice system....
, OM) is a relatively independent organisation which forms part of the Judiciary
Judiciary
The judiciary is the system of courts that interprets and applies the law in the name of the state. The judiciary also provides a mechanism for the resolution of disputes...
and prosecutes persons susoectred of breaking the law.
The Netherlands Forensic Institute
Netherlands Forensic Institute
The Netherlands Forensic Institute, is the national forensics institute of the Netherlands, located in the Ypenburg quarter of The Hague....
is an autonomous division of the Ministry of Justice, falling under the Directorate-General for the Administration of Justice and Law Enforcement.
The Custodial Institutions Agency
Custodial Institutions Agency
The Custodial Institutions Agency is responsible for the incarceration of adults in the Netherlands. It is subordinate to the Ministry of Public Safety and Justice...
is an agency of the ministry.
Ministers
Ministers of Justice and their state secreetaries from 1989:- 2010-now Ivo OpsteltenIvo OpsteltenIvo Willem Opstelten is a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy . He is the Minister of Security and Justice in the Cabinet Rutte since October 14, 2010....
(VVD, Minister of Ministry of Security and Justice)- 2010-now Fred TeevenFred TeevenFredrik "Fred" Teeven is a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy . He is the State Secretary for Security and Justice in the Cabinet Rutte since October 14, 2010....
(VVD, state secretary of Security and Justice)
- 2010-now Fred Teeven
- 2006-2010 Ernst Hirsch BallinErnst Hirsch BallinErnst Maurits Henricus Hirsch Ballin is a Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal . He served as Minister of Justice and Minister for Suriname and Netherlands Antilles Affairs from November 7, 1989 until May 27, 1994 in the Cabinet Lubbers III...
(CDAChristian Democratic AppealThe Christian Democratic Appeal is a centre-right Dutch Christian democratic political party. It suffered severe losses in the 2010 elections and fell from the first to the fourth place...
, Minister of Justice)- 2006-2010 Nebahat AlbayrakNebahat AlbayrakNebahat Albayrak is a Turkish-Dutch politician and former civil servant. As a member of the Dutch Labour Party she is a former State Secretary for Justice in the Netherlands. Since May 12, 2010 she has been an MP. From April till August 2011 she was on maternity leave...
(PvdA, state secretary for Migration)
- 2006-2010 Nebahat Albayrak
- 2006 Rita VerdonkRita VerdonkMaria Cornelia Frederika "Rita" Verdonk is a retired Dutch politician initially of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy until she was expelled in October 2007, she later formed her own party Proud of the Netherlands . She served as Minister for Integration and Immigration in Cabinets...
(VVD, Acting Minister September 21, 2006 - September 22, 2006) - 2002-2006 Piet Hein DonnerPiet Hein DonnerJan Pieter Hendrik "Piet Hein" Donner is a Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal . He is the Minister of the Interior and Kingdom Relations in the Cabinet Rutte since October 14, 2010....
(CDA, Minister of Justice)- 2003-2006 Rita VerdonkRita VerdonkMaria Cornelia Frederika "Rita" Verdonk is a retired Dutch politician initially of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy until she was expelled in October 2007, she later formed her own party Proud of the Netherlands . She served as Minister for Integration and Immigration in Cabinets...
(VVD, Minister without Portfolio for Migration and Integration) - 2002-2003 Hilbrand NawijnHilbrand NawijnHilbrand Pier Anne Nawijn is a Dutch politician of the Party for the Netherlands . He was Minister for Integration & Immigration from July 22, 2002 until May 27, 2003 and later a Member of the House of Representatives for the Pim Fortuyn List .Nawijn was born in Kampen...
(LPF, Minister without Portfolio for Migration and Integration)
- 2003-2006 Rita Verdonk
- 1998-2002 Benk KorthalsBenk KorthalsAlbert Hendrik Korthals is a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy. He is the Party Chair of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy since May 22, 2011...
(VVD, Minister of Justice)- 2000-2002 Ella KalsbeekElla KalsbeekNeeltje Adriana Kalsbeek is a former Dutch politician. She was a member of House of Representatives of the Netherlands for the Labour Party . She was State Secretary of Justice under Wim Kok...
(PvdA, State Secretary for Migration) - 1998-2000 Job CohenJob CohenMarius Job Cohen is a Dutch social democratic politician and former legal scholar of Jewish background. Since 2010 he has been the leader of the Labour Party and since June 17, 2010 he has been a member of the House of Representatives, where he also is the Parliamentary group leader of the Labour...
(PvdA, State Secretary for Migration)
- 2000-2002 Ella Kalsbeek
- 1994-1998 Winnie SorgdragerWinnie SorgdragerWinnifred Sorgdrager is a Dutch jurist and former politician.-References:...
(D66, Minister of Justice)- 1994-1998 Elisabeth Schmitz (PvdA, State Secretary for Migration)
- 1994 Aad KostoAad KostoArie Kosto is a former Dutch politician.-References:* Mr. A. Kosto at...
(PvdA, Minister of Justice) - 1989-1994 Ernst Hirsch BallinErnst Hirsch BallinErnst Maurits Henricus Hirsch Ballin is a Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal . He served as Minister of Justice and Minister for Suriname and Netherlands Antilles Affairs from November 7, 1989 until May 27, 1994 in the Cabinet Lubbers III...
(CDA, Minister of Justice)- 1989-1994 Aad Kosto (PvdA, State Secretary of Migration)