Believe it or not, the Netherlands will be closing eight prisons due to lack of criminals.

Given the current state of crime around the world and the constant issue of overcrowding and deplorable conditions in many prison facilities, news like this seems so strange to comprehend.

The decision came as a result of a decrease crime in the country that happens to be one of the richest and most connected in the world.

The Criminal Justice Alliance called for “the unnecessary use of prison, ensuring it is reserved for serious, persistent and violent offenders for whom no alternative sanction is appropriate”.