Previous research has shown that gruesome evidence influences guilt decisions. Several scholars have put forward that the emotional response to gruesome evidence drives this effect. The current systematic review aims to critically scrutinize the current literature on this underlying emotion mechanism, by reviewing studies on the potential mediating role of emotion. A synthesis of the literature suggests that specific emotions have different effects: disgust shows a mediating effect, fear and sadness do not, whereas the effect of anger is inconsistent. The question remains whether an emotional effect is desirable in the courtroom. Recommendations for future research and the legal practice are made.

Life in prison goes hand in hand with far-reaching restrictions in the personal autonomy of offenders. Lack of personal autonomy and the coercion to perform certain actions disrupt the ‘normal’ intrinsic experiences of voluntary action (i.e. sense of agency). Disturbances in the neurocognitive basis of voluntary action have a number of clear effects on human functioning, including self-reliance. This paper provides a first analysis of the relationship between personal autonomy and the intrinsic experience of voluntary action, and how this may be the key to understanding how freedom restrictions in detention can reduce self-reliance.

In the Netherlands, the behavior-influencing and freedom-restricting measure (GVM) came into effect on 1 January 2018. The purpose of this measure is to enable long-term, if necessary, lifelong monitoring of perpetrators of sexual and serious violent crimes with a high risk of recidivism. The probation service advises on imposition and implementation of the measure. This article describes results of a small scale study on arguments that are used in practice to advise the GVM. The central question is whether the legislator provides probation officers with sufficient tools for substantiated advice to the court.

In the Dutch public debate on honour-based violence on a regular basis this question is raised: should a special article be introduced for criminalising honour-based violence? However, it is striking that in this debate until now not much attention has been paid towards the different roles of family members in these violent conflicts. The main focus has always been on the so-called ‘material offender’, i.e. the offender that commits or threatens to commit a violent act. But what about family members that play a role in instigating this violence, the so-called ‘intellectual offenders’? In this article it is stated that in the Dutch context we should focus less on the introduction of new articles for punishing honour-based violence in the penal code and make better use of already existing laws and legal framework for addressing these severe violent acts.

We are witnessing a remarkable trend in the youth crime in the Netherlands. A spectacular crime drop is accompanied by growing concerns about the serious nature of youth crimes and young people on a pathway to become hardened criminals at an early age. In this article, we focus on the rise of young offenders in organized drug crime in the Netherlands. We describe some of the features of these young offenders, highlighting their intelligent, strategic and professional behavior. Furthermore, we signal the development and the (territorial) violence of the (youth) groups these young offenders are usually embedded in. In light of these developments, we argue that there is a need for more specialism amongst law enforcement and judicial authorities to identify and deal with these young and potential serious criminals.

In the Netherlands, domestic violence cases are often heard in criminal court by a single judge. In these cases usually the family is usually confronted with multiple problems related to divorce or separation, child protection issues, financial problems, psychological problems or addiction and aggression problems that can lead to various legal proceedings with different judges. The District Court of Rotterdam has started a pilot ‘integrated approach to domestic violence’. In this paper results of the pilot evaluation are presented in relation to recent developments of the judiciary to focus on effective problem solving courts.

Suspects with a Mild Intellectual Disability (hereafter: MID) are over-represented in the criminal justice system. Is the right to a fair trial of these vulnerable suspects sufficiently guaranteed in the modernized Dutch Code of Criminal Procedure? To this end, it is first of all important that the MID is recognized by legal professionals in the criminal justice system. In this way, the suspect with an MID can be treated and interrogated in the right way, which can, for example, prevent making a false statement. Secondly, it is important that the compensatory and remedial measures that professionals may take according to the modernization are clarified. The professionals should know in which phase of the criminal proceeding they should apply certain measures. Finally, the question arises whether the addition of a lawyer is the most important measure to compensate the suspect with an MID for his disability.

The imposition or extension of a tbs-order requires that the offender is dangerous. This article reports on a quantitative analysis of case law about whether judges provide reasons in their judgment when establishing that an offender is dangerous. The analysis shows that this often is not the case. For example, only one third of the examined judgments explain why the legal criterion for dangerousness is met. The author recommends that judges more often provide reasons for their decision about the dangerousness of the offender.

Does a better quality of arguing by a criminal judge why he/she metes out a certain punishment enhance the public’s understanding and endorsement of criminal verdicts? A sample of 235 Dutchmen got presented two verdicts in a within person design, one with a well motivated meting out of punishment, one with a defective motivation. Subjects reported on understanding and endorsement. Better motivated verdicts turn out to be better understood and are more endorsed.

Scientific studies have shown the effect of social crises on the nature and magnitude of domestic violence. Since the beginning of 2020 we are facing a worldwide corona pandemic. There is a widespread fear that the measures as a consequence of this pandemic have led to a significant increase in domestic violence. In this study news reports on the assumptions about the effect of the pandemic on domestic violence were inventoried. Subsequently, an overview was made of current empirical research projects on the assumed effect on domestic violence. The methodological aspects and the preliminary results of these studies are discussed.