Status and Power
According to the Dutch Government, expensive branded clothing and shoes are used by inmates to gain respect and power in prison. They also serve as valuable trade items, allowing criminals to orchestrate new crimes from their cells.
Blacklist
State Secretary Coenradie now wants to create a blacklist of “expensive” brands. For some brands outside this list, a maximum price limit will be established. It’s still unclear which brands will be banned in prison.
Uniforms
For right wing politician and Member of Parliament Emiel van Dijk, however, these measures don’t go far enough. He suggests introducing a prison uniform to counter the flaunting of status among inmates. Hopefully, this won’t cause too much unrest in the prisons. And if it comes to that, shouldn’t we give the inmates a little leeway by allowing them to sport a nice, big crocodile logo on the chest of their new uniform?
Bas Kist
Photo by Carles Rabada on Unsplash
