MOZOM vergelijkt

MOZOM compares: penalty payments for minors, education or debt spiral?

MOZOM vergelijkt Justice 30 juni 2026 om 01:01

AI photo of a minor from behind with a parent or supervisor at a table in a municipal office environment as an image of penalty payments for young people.

Source: MOZOM vergelijkt
MOZOM headline: MOZOM compares: penalty payments for minors, education or debt spiral?
Original headline: Increasingly high fines for minors, the effect remains unclear
Author: MOZOM-redactie
Date: 30 juni 2026 om 01:01
Subject: Dutch municipalities often use penalty payments against minors, while the effect and risks are not always clear.

Summary of the original report

NOS, in collaboration with Omroep Gelderland, reports that Dutch municipalities are increasingly imposing penalty payments on minors who have committed criminal offenses. Omroep Gelderland asked municipalities with more than 100,000 inhabitants about their use of this measure; three quarters provided figures. According to the survey, the number of penalty payments imposed on large municipalities increased from seven in 2021 to 53 last year. According to the report, the amounts range from 1,000 to 7,500 euros per violation. Municipalities say they use the drug to prevent recurrence, for example in the case of drug offenses, possession of knives, prohibited fireworks or nuisance. Lawyer Michiel van Emmerik of Radboud University in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, points out in the NOS report that such an administrative measure is not subject to the same criminal law guarantees as in a judicial criminal case. Several municipalities also say that they do not yet know whether the drug really works.

Striking in this message

The friendly nickname if-then-penance is striking. This makes the drug understandable, but can also conceal the fact that the amounts involved can be very burdensome for young people and families. The administrative language dampens the social consequences.

Less visible context

What remains less visible is what happens when a young person actually has to pay the penalty. Debt can affect parents, affect school and work and, in the worst case, put pressure on you to earn money quickly again. That is precisely why the question of effectiveness is important: if a measure does not demonstrably work, but can cause large debts, it deserves extra control.

Possible message behind the news

A possible message is that municipalities are increasingly resorting to rapid administrative pressure when criminal justice and social assistance appear slow or insufficient, but that the price for this can be high for young people.

Neutral conclusion

The neutral conclusion: penalty payments can be an attractive instrument for municipalities, but the bar must be high for minors. Without clear evidence of effect, the question remains whether the measure corrects or creates new problems.