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Monitoring to achieve a safe and just society

The Inspectorate of Justice and Security contributes to a just and safe society. The Inspectorate achieves this by supervising the implementing organisations of the Ministry of Justice and Security. Through investigations, the Inspectorate provides insight into the quality of the performance of tasks and compliance with the rules and norms. In so doing, it aims to signal risks and encourage improvement within organisations.

The Inspectorate works in different environments: from the police to the Child Care and Protection Board, and from the Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) to detention centres. These organisations perform their tasks independently, but also operate in close cooperation via chains and networks, such as the criminal system, the immigration process and the youth care system.

Monitoring domain

The Inspectorate's monitoring domain consists of the following supervision areas: Asylum and Migration, Youth, National Security, Police and Sanctions. Each supervision area has different, more specific focus areas. Some of the supervisory activities take place in the Caribbean Netherlands (Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba). Some activities are associated with the local management and -security. The Inspectorate of Justice and Security monitors these aspects when it involves the responsibility of the Minister or State Secretary of Justice and Security.

The Inspectorate as coordinator of the Dutch National Preventive Mechanism (NPM)

The Netherlands does not want people who have been (partly) deprived of their liberty by law, to be humiliated or treated inhumanely. People who are in prison or people who have had their freedom restricted because of illness, to keep them from hurting themselves or others. To show the world that the Netherlands deems this important, the government has signed the UN Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. This UN Convention is known officially as the Optional Protocol to the Convention Against Torture (OPCAT). The Netherlands signed it in 2010.

What is the National Preventive Mechanism (NPM)?

The Dutch NPM is made up of all organisations with a supervisory or advisory role in the area of people deprived of their liberty. The NPM participants jointly hold all authorisations required of NPMs under the UN Convention against Torture and other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (OPCAT) . All participants have their own duties, responsibilities and competences in accordance with the law. Some organisations do not take part in the NPM’s periodic consultations.

The following organisations take part in the NPM consultations:

  • The Inspectorate of Justice and Security (which also serves as coordinator of the NPM network)
  • The Health and Youth Care Inspectorate
  • The Commissions of Oversight for Penitentiary Institutions
  • The Commissions of Oversight for Police Custody
  • The Detention Areas Supervisory Commission of the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee

Read more on the NPM in the annual reports below.

How to contact the Inspectorate of Justice and Security?

The visiting address of the Inspectorate of Justice and Security is:
147 Turfmarkt
2511 DP  The Hague
North Tower, 35th floor

The postal address is:
PO Box 20301
2500 EH The Hague
To the attention of: Inspectorate of Justice and Security, North Tower, 35th floor

You may have different reasons for contacting the Inspectorate. You can reach the Inspectorate with your questions, comments or suggestions through the contact form.

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