In recent years there has been growing attention for so-called crimmigration prisons: all-foreign prisons with immigration staff embedded where not rehabilitation, but deportation is the ultimate... Show moreIn recent years there has been growing attention for so-called crimmigration prisons: all-foreign prisons with immigration staff embedded where not rehabilitation, but deportation is the ultimate aim. Following Norway and the United Kingdom, since 2014 the Netherlands is another country with such a prison. This article analyses penal policies in the Netherlands vis-à-vis foreign national prisoners, including the establishment of the crimmigration prison. Drawing on extensive empirical fieldwork in the crimmigration prison, it subsequently examines how this is experienced and understood by both prison officers and foreign national officers. The results show that the limited opportunities to work on rehabilitation means that prison officers struggle to find meaning and satisfaction in their work. For prisoners, experiences in the crimmigration prison strongly depend on their subjective identity and attachment to the Netherlands. Whereas the lack of meaningful activities and remote location of the prison considerably add to the pains they experience, specific elements of the prison also help to mitigate some of the pains foreign national prisoners most commonly experience, especially isolation and uncertainty. The article finishes by a discussion about what this says about how the state should treat individuals it seeks to both punish and deport. Show less
We study the elasticity of taxable labour income in the Netherlands. We use a large and rich data set, including both financial and demographic variables, for the period 1999–2005. The 2001 tax... Show moreWe study the elasticity of taxable labour income in the Netherlands. We use a large and rich data set, including both financial and demographic variables, for the period 1999–2005. The 2001 tax reform generates large exogenous variation in marginal tax rates at different segments of the income distribution. For all workers, we find an elasticity of 0.10 in the short run, 1 year after the reform, rising to 0.24 in the medium to longer run, 5 years after the reform. Furthermore, we find that the elasticity is higher for higher incomes and for women. Also, we find that the elasticity of taxable labour income is higher than the elasticity of (contractual) annual hours worked. Show less
