Samenvatting

This paper studies the development of the average punishment per criminal offence, the product of frequency and severity, imposed by the Criminal Justice System in the Netherlands over the period 1995-2012. Available data cover all principal sanctions: (unconditional) prison sentences, community service orders and fines. A decomposition is made to separate the frequency and severity of punishment from size effects (changes in the composition of crime). The decomposition points out that, on average, crime has become more serious over time. The average punishment per criminal offence in 2012 is lower than it was in 1995.