Amsterdam Day Job

I think this law, as much as the gun laws, illustrates the difference between Europe & N. America. I mean, reimbursing criminals for the cost of their crimes?

AMSTERDAM — It is often said that crime doesn't pay, but a Roermond man might beg to differ, having recently been refunded EUR 2,000 for the pistol he used to commit an armed robbery.

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The director of the public prosecution's dispossession division, Gerard Sta, said it is possible for criminals to have the cost incurred in committing a crime deducted from their sentences, newspaper De Telegraaf reported on Monday.

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He said the law stipulates that the financial situation of the bank robber after the sentence is imposed must be the same as what it was prior to the crime. "It sounds a little bit strange, but that is the law," he said.

Read the whole thing. The article notes that the crime must actually be committed in order for the criminal to be reimbursed. Now there's accountability!

Hat Tip: Tongue Tied