Prisons are now being turned into refugee homes in The Netherlands
Due to the country’s decreasing prison population, The Netherlands has decided to turn its prisons into refugee housing while they are waiting to be granted asylum, something which usually lasts a minimum of six months.
Throughout their time in the housing facilities, the refugees will not be required to work, but will instead be provided with educational materials so that they could learn Dutch, while they will also be able to ride bicycles and build connections within the community.
The Central Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (COA) in The Netherlands took this decision after the number of migrants in the country surpassed 50,000 in a single year, while the criminality rate and the number of Dutch prisoners kept dropping.
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Refugees are welcome to live in the prisons-turned-housing facilities for a minimum of six months while being able to leave and go however they want. This environment turned out to be extremely appreciated by the refugees. “If a country has no prisoners to put in jail, it means this is the safest country that I want to be living in,” said a Syrian refugee.
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